[中文略歷]

Mrs. Siok-Bi Yen, born on December 1, 1929 in Lin-Yuan, Kaohsiung, was a fourth generation Christian in her family. Her father was the late Dr. Yo-Fu Huang. Her mother was Mrs. Yen Hsu Huang. She had an older sister, one younger sister, and two younger brothers.

Sister Siok-Bi studied at the Second Girls’ High School at Tainan and then graduated from the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, majored in fine arts. While at the college, she met her future husband, Mr. Kai-Yun Yen a student who studied Agricultural Economics in the National Taiwan University at Taipei Hoping Church. After their graduation, they got married on August 8, 1952. She began her long teaching career soon after that. At first she taught at the junior high school in Fu-Wei, then in Ah-Lian. In 1963, she moved to Tainan with her family and taught at the Jing-Chen Junior High till her retirement.

Sister Siok-Bi gave birth to and raised two sons, Mike and Bruce. In addition, she became the God mother for Paul, her “other son”, she would call Paul. Paul and both his sisters all call her “Gan-Ma”, as their “other mother” at Tainan.

Our beloved sister Siok-Bi led an extraordinary life as a very ordinary person. She humbly served others in all her life. She taught in schools and also taught Sunday school. In her 30-40 years of adult life. She was the sole care-giver  of four patients who were all her love ones. She took in and cared for her own widowed mother who suffered a stroke and was bedridden till her end. She took in and served her mother-in-law, cared for her till she was 90 years old and passed away in her care. At age 60, she began to care for her own husband, who was terminally ill, and stayed with him every minute till God took him in 1992. Only two years later, she again took in her own elder sister while she suffered a stroke and became bedridden. She, alone, again cared for her till the very end, and never complained to others or to God.

In July 2003, she came to the States, at her sons’ insistence. In the last four years of her life, she took turns to spend time with both of their families, in Pennsylvania and in Massachusetts. She finally got to enjoy some normal family life with her children and grand children at her side.

Sister Siok-Bi lived a very simple and frugal life. She loved to sing old Japanese folk songs, enjoyed sashimi and watching Japanese sumo wrestling. She deeply cared for the political and social situation in Taiwan, her own homeland. Since she moved to U.S., she missed her favorite Taiwanese dishes, such as eel fish stew, su-mu fish congee, and er-te – a deep fried Taiwanese snack. One of her proudest accomplishment was that she passed her Citizenship exam, 10 perfect answers to 10 questions in perfect English, and became a Naturalized US Citizen in May 2006.

Sister Siok-Bi was a faithful Christian. She read over the entire bible more than 10 times. She took courses and studied at the Tainan Theological College for a year after her retirement. She truly loved and served her God with all her might for all her life, even in sickness, and till her very last day.

Sister Siok-Bi held her faith with a simple, pure, and beautiful heart. She always knew she would be returning to her eternal resting place at God’s home when the time comes. With Lord’s blessing, our merciful and loving God took her home in the early morning on August 18, 2007.

Sister Siok-Bi lived her life with a strong faith. She always maintained peace in her heart. She was never in fear even when she was alone and against all odds. She felt she had been given a perfect life, and her cup overflowed！