Richard Lum, beloved father and husband and long-time resident of Davis, CA, passed away on September 26, 2010. He was 73. Born in Stockton, California to Leon and Su-Ping Lum, Richard was the third of four children two older siblings, Ton and Anna, and younger sister Marilyn. The family soon moved to Portland, Oregon. After graduating from high school, Richard enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent four years as an electronics technician aboard the U.S.S. Navarro. Following his service, Richard received a bachelor degree in architecture from the University of California at Berkeley in 1967.
In 1976, Richard met the love of his life, Siu-Kwan Chan. They married the following year and moved to Japan, where Richard worked as an architect for the U.S. Air Force at Yokota Air Base. While at Yokota, Richard and Siu-Kwans two children, Leon and Audrey, were born.
The family eventually moved to Davis, CA where Richard began work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Sacramento, first as a project manager and then in Geographic Information Systems. In 2005, Richard retired from public service after more than 35 years. His career took him across all branches of the Department of Defense. In addition to the Air Force and the Army Corps, Richard worked for the U.S. Navy in San Bruno, California and at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.
In his retirement, Richard enjoyed spending time with family, caring for his fruit trees, building impressive model ships, playing tennis with friends and creating beautiful art pieces. He had a passion for life, a remarkable knowledge of world history and current events, and a penchant for crossword puzzles. Everything he attempted, he did well. Richard was a loving husband and father who always provided for his family. After 33 years of marriage, Richard and Siu-Kwan were still inseparable whether working together in the garden, taking walks in the neighborhood greenbelt or just going to the local grocery store they were nearly always together. His two children admired him he was a gentle and loving father who taught them about patience, courage, love and responsibility.
Richard is survived by his wife, Siu-Kwan and his children Leon and Audrey. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to the American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org/involved/donate/).