A devout Buddhist, Bik Oi (Betty) Lee was born and raised in Guangdong, China. As a child, she enjoyed reading, playing basketball and being with her school friends, but her schooling was cut short when her family moved to Hong Kong and she had to work in a mitten factory to support her family.

When she moved to Canada and married, she was a homemaker, sewing machine operator, and waitress. Through her parental involvement in her children’s school, she landed jobs working as a Lunchroom Supervisor, Daycare Worker, and Teacher’s Assistant at Ogden Public School in Toronto; her cherished dream job because she loved working with children.

Betty was well-known in her community. Every trip to Chinatown was an opportunity to stop and chat with merchants, family friends and parents from her children’s school. She was a generous, self-sacrificing person who cared a lot about her children’s progress in school and ensured they had 3 square meals so they could get a good education and have opportunities she didn’t have.

In her retirement, Betty enjoyed watching horse races, participating in events through Dixon Hall, Riverdale and Woodgreen Community Centres, looked forward to bus trips to Orangeville, Ontario to practice Tai Chi, and even became a Reflexology Healer.

Despite the many challenges she faced during her life, including a workplace accident that prevented her from returning to her dream job, developing Breast Cancer and Parkinson's / Lewy Body Dementia, she remained of sound mind and strong willed to the end.

Betty died on January 10th, 2024 at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada surrounded by her family.

She is survived by her sister (Kam), son (Adrian), daughter (Cindy), son in-law (Olivier) and grandchildren (Elliot and Claire-Élise) and will be greatly missed by all.

We encourage you to share any memories or thoughts by clicking on the "Sign the Guestbook button" below.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Bik Oi Lee’s name to one of the following charities, found under the “Donations” menu above.

For more information:
Cancer Society of Canada: https://cancer.ca

Parkinson's Society of Canada: https://www.parkinson.ca/

Lewy Body Dementia Association: https://www.lbda.org/donate/