In the early hours of November 29th, 2024, Lemuel Shiu (蕭亮明) passed away to be with his Lord and to be reunited with his beloved wife, Ruth, who had preceded him in her passing two years earlier. After a life filled with love and generosity, it is fitting that he passed peacefully in the night after having celebrated a joyous Thanksgiving meal surrounded by family and loved ones. 

Generosity was the hallmark of Lemuel’s life and character, as attested by all who knew him. His natural impulse was always to give, abundantly and selflessly to the limit of his ability—not only to those close to him, but often simply to someone who had a need of which he became aware. And he would do so with as much discretion as possible, never wanting to call attention either to himself or to those he sought to aid. He was deeply devoted to God and his family, and he gave his all for the sake of both.

Born November 3rd, 1934, in the village of Chaozhou in Guangdong province, China, Lemuel was the youngest of four brothers and two sisters. At the age of thirteen he moved to Hong Kong to live in the care of his second oldest brother, Shiu Kam On (蕭錦安), who was eighteen years his senior. In a pivotal moment of his life, he stepped one day out of the rain into a movie theater which was being rented by a local church for their weekly service. There he was presented with the Christian gospel message, accepted the altar call, and became a lifelong servant of his Lord.

His brother enrolled him in a Christian high school, Bethel High, where he joined a Youth Group and, ever looking out for those he could help, was instrumental in rallying his classmates to tutor the younger students. He enjoyed sports such as soccer and swimming, and briefly became a member of a baseball club.

After his graduation from Bethel High he decided to further his studies in the US. In 1956 he boarded a Transpacific vessel for a month-long ocean voyage to San Francisco and a further train journey to Asbury College, a private Methodist college in Wilmore, Kentucky. There he majored in Chemical Biology and was graduated in 1960.

Lemuel subsequently moved to New York City to work in research at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. During that time he joined a budding young Chinese Christian congregation led by Reverend Torrey Shih called Oversea Chinese Mission (OCM), which has since grown to become the largest Chinese church in New York City. There Lemuel served the church in various capacities including as a Mandarin-Cantonese translator on the Worship Team, and as a long-time member Steering Committee.

It was while serving on the Worship Team that he met Ruth Wan, who was the pianist for worship services, and the two were married on December 18, 1965. They were blessed with four children in the coming years: Timothy and Denise while they lived in New York City, and Stephen and Jonathan after they moved in 1971 to Franklin Lakes, NJ.

In the early 1970’s Lemuel joined his brother-in-law, Herbert Chew, in a business in the garment industry—initially with a factory on Elizabeth Street in Chinatown, just around the corner from the Oversea Chinese Mission building on Hester Street. In the early 1980’s he moved his business uptown to the Times Square area, where at the time, the heart of the garment industry was also moving. During the course of his career in the industry specializing in the production of women’s sportswear, Lemuel evolved his businesses from early contract work, to manufacturing, and eventually to a partnership with designer Alex Garfield on their own label. Throughout this time, he worked with such prominent labels as Ann Taylor, Lafayette 148, and Theory. He eventually retired in 2016.

While his work in the world revolved around New York’s garment industry, Lemuel’s primary service was to God through his work in the church. There he gave generously of himself, both financially and through his time and dedication to its ministry. In the early 1990’s he and Ruth were instrumental in the establishment of an OCM branch church in Northern New Jersey (OCM Grace Church). There he served over the years on its Executive Board, as a Sunday worship presider, and on both pastoral and building search committees. He brought his business experience to bear in his involvement in the church’s incorporation, and he led a small group called Living Stone.

He was also deeply supportive of a ministry pioneered by Ruth and her parents to bring the gospel into the workplace. This ministry married concern for both the spiritual and the practical well-being of the many Chinese immigrants that populated his garment factory and those of his associates, through the sharing of the gospel message alongside the teaching of English. It has grown now into a formal organization, Dorcas Ministries, which continues to serve New York City’s Chinese immigrant community to this day.

In later life he devoted himself increasingly to the care of Ruth, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2015 and passed to be with her Lord in 2022. As he now joins her, he is held in loving memory by his four children (and their spouses): Timothy Shiu, Denise (Craig) Eberson, Stephen (Melody) Shiu, and Jonathan (Kelley) Shiu; his seven grandchildren: Philip, Jake, Ethan, Daniel, Jeremy, Caleb, and Liam; and the numerous other relatives, friends, and acquaintances who were touched by his generous life.