Dr. Chihping "Chester" Lee, 72, of San Diego, CA, passed away on November 14, 2022 after bravely battling kidney failure for over a decade. 

Chester was born in Taipei, Taiwan on October 10, 1950, the first of three sons to Chenchi Lee and Hui-Ying Chou. Chester grew up in Taipei and graduated from Da Tong University in 1972. He met Anna Tanli Tu through a friend while he was a junior in college and she was a freshman. 

In 1974, he received a scholarship to begin graduate studies in mechanical engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA). Anna immigrated to the United States shortly thereafter and they were married on October 11, 1975 in the chapel at UVA. 

Chester and Anna moved to Albany, NY in 1979. Chester started his first job as an engineer at MTI, a consulting firm, and worked on the rotor dynamic calculations for the space shuttle. He continued writing his PhD thesis during this time, had two kids (Jessica in 1981 and Andrew in 1983), and finished his dissertation in 1987. 

Chester moved to his dream city - San Diego, CA - in 1989 to work for Solar Turbines where he designed gas compressors. He was well-respected by his peers and sought to be a mentor to those who worked for him. Chester loved his job and always told his kids that he felt so lucky that he was someone who looked forward to going to work every day. In turn, he always encouraged his children to pursue their passions. After retiring, he continued to work as a consultant for many companies until his health prevented him from doing so. 

Chester was not a man of many words, but he had a wry sense of humor and was a very generous person who never hesitated to help those in need. He deeply appreciated the small things in life, like enjoying a cold beer, or drinking a bitter coffee with a sweet dessert, preferably something chocolate. In addition, Chester loved photography, gourmet food, computer related gadgets, as well as music (e.g. The Beatles, Francoise Hardy, Jacky Cheung) and movies. One of his greatest pleasures in life was traveling, and he took his family to many places in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. 

In his later years, his most treasured time was playing with his four grandchildren, who brought him tremendous joy. 

Chester will be forever cherished by his wife Anna, his daughter Jessica (David, Henry, and Zoe) and his son Andrew (Elizabeth, Zed, and Raena). 

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