Lye Soon Teo

Lye Soon Teo, affectionately called “Tommy”, was born on July 23rd, 1946 in the city-state of Singapore to Taiwanese mother Lee Neo Chew and Singaporean father Kang Tee Teo. Lye Soon grew up in Jalan Taluki in Upper Bukit Timah, Singapore where he had fond memories of living on a farm with his three brothers and five sisters. They were surrounded by numerous mango, pineapple, rambutan, and papaya trees; they even grew and sold a variety of orchid plants. Lye Soon loved the animals on the family farm which included pigs, hens, geese, ducks, dogs, cats and koi fish. His early years were spent at Bukit Panjang Primary School and High School before graduating from Victoria Junior College. He was an avid badminton player, even becoming school captain, and he also loved swimming.

After high school, Lye Soon became the first one in his family to attend college: the prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS), where he majored in pure and applied mathematics. During his tenure at NUS, he worked as a math tutor for other NUS students. After graduation, Lye Soon worked at United Overseas Bank, a large local bank in Singapore where he met Rosalind Tan, a bank teller. They were married in 1974. Two years later, their first daughter, Su-Lynn, was born. As soon as Su-Lynn turned a year old, Lye Soon was transferred to New York for his first of many international postings. Their second daughter, Su-Queen, was born in 1981 in New York City. A few years later the family was transferred to Tokyo, Japan and this was followed by the birth of their twins, Su-Ying and Su-Ming. They soon moved back to New York City where Lye Soon remained for most of his life.

Lye Soon worked as a General Manager for United Overseas Bank for 38 years and during his international banking career was posted overseas to New York, Japan, Los Angeles as well as locally in Singapore. He was a dedicated and successful banker who built lasting friendships. Lye Soon and Rosalind lived a happy life and raised four daughters, who inherited his magnanimous dimples. He instilled familial principles and was always grateful for times when the family was all together. His daughters currently reside in close proximity to each other and their mother in Bergen County, New Jersey.

Lye Soon was raised in a Buddhist household where his parents followed the teachings of Taoism and Confucianism. Lye Soon and Rosalind were introduced to Bergen Christian Testimony Church (BCTC) while living in New York by long-time friend, Timothy Teo. Lye Soon accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior on December 28, 1994 at BCTC’s snow camp and was baptized by Pastor Albert Yip.

Lye Soon retired from banking in 2007 and began working part-time as a real estate agent for Furomoto Realty based in Fort Lee, NJ. He spent the majority of his time caring for his four beautiful grandchildren whom he loved dearly, and was a devoted teacher and bible study leader who helped spread the Word of God. Although he lived a humble life as a faithful servant of God, he enjoyed wine and delicious food, and always looked forward to large family dinners and holiday gatherings. He is known for his boisterous karaoke singing voice, his honesty, his love of making people laugh, and his rousing speeches at his daughters' weddings, including giving the longest and loudest "Yum Seng" toasts.

Lye Soon is survived by his wife, Rosalind, daughter Su-Lynn and her husband Steven Chen; daughter Su-Queen; twin daughter, Su-Ying and her husband Kevin Kong, granddaughter Caylee (5) and grandson Bryan (3); twin daughter, Su-Ming and her husband Marc Uy and granddaughters Eva (6) and Sienna (2). In addition, he is survived by his three sisters, one brother, and a very large extended family around the world.

Lye Soon fought a courageous battle with cancer for the past two years. He passed away on December 11, 2018 at 4:05pm surrounded by loved ones. We love the man he was and cherish the memories we had together. Lye Soon has been an encouragement to all of us not just in life, but in death. We miss him greatly but know he is smiling down on us from above with his signature dimples and immense love. May he rest in peace, free of pain and suffering.