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In memory of

Lida Fong Lim

Foster City, CA, USA

May 28, 1939 - October 23, 2019

May 28, 1939 - Oct 23, 2019

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Lida Fong Lim passed away on October 23, 2019 at Hospice of the Comforter in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Lida was born on May 28, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan. Her birth Chinese name was Lim Lai Fong which was changed by her parents to Lida Fong Lim with the help of her elder sister Sue. Lida spent most of her 80 years in the Bay Area of Northern California, but she maintained her love for Detroit and its rock and roll music throughout her life. Lida attended Detroit’s Redford High School and graduated in 1957. She studied at the University of Michigan receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961, and moved to California after graduation.

“Miss Lim” was a beloved teacher at Burlingame Intermediate School (BIS) for 33 years. She taught 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts, English as a Second Language (ESL) and Spanish on occasion. Miss Lim was a respected teacher amongst her peers and popular with Burlingame families. Many parents requested that she teach their children and she taught 3 generations of students from the same family. Lida Lim was honored by BIS when she was named the first recipient of their “Teacher of the Year Award”.

In addition to teaching, Lida co-authored with Jack Prejza several textbooks including “Spelling: Words and Skills” for the Scott Foresman publishing company and “Language”, which were used in classrooms throughout the nation. As an author Lida was able to express her love for her many nieces and nephews, interspersing their names and anecdotes of their activities throughout the pages of her books. After retiring from the Burlington School District Lida continued to share her expertise and years of experience by acting as a consultant on instructional strategies to school districts in Texas, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Lida loved to travel the world and during summer breaks from school and after retiring, she visited many wonderful locations - Hawaii, Alaska, Spain & Portugal, Scandinavia, Russia and China. In her later years, there is nothing Lida enjoyed more than taking a cruise with her family and friends.

Ever outgoing, Lida had a vibrant social life. She was the organizer of many book, knitting and dinner groups. Lida was a wonderful cook and loved to host dinners for friends and family. She also was an avid sports fan. She was passionate about many Bay Area sports teams (the 49ers, Golden State Warriors and the Giants) as well as her alma mater, the University of Michigan’s Football and Baseball teams. She followed professional tennis with the same zeal. Lida was the family organizer of brackets for March madness, and each of the grand slam tennis tournaments.

Lida Lim is survived by her sister Jeanette Lim Esbrook (husband Tom) and numerous nieces, nephews and god-children. Lida’s wishes were for a private family memorial; and, true to her unique sensibilities, she wanted to have her ashes buried in a California Redwood forest.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Lida’s honor to the American Diabetes Society, the American Cancer Society or the Burlingame Community Education Foundation.

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