James Khai-Jin Lim
March 11, 1933 ~ June 7, 2018
James Khai-Jin Lim, age 85, passed away peacefully on June 7, 2018, at BridgePoint Hospital in Washington DC. He was born March 11, 1933, in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Lim Seng Hooi and Injo Lioe Kho. He graduated from the University of Malaya in Singapore and continued his studies in the United States in 1959 on a USIS grant, earning a Masters and a PhD in Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He married Lena Lim in 1962, in Singapore. Later, he was appointed Professor of Pharmaceutics at the University of West Virginia where he taught and was active in research for 32 years. After retirement in 1997, he moved to Great Falls, VA, where he was a member of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, and was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.
He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He enjoyed most the simple pleasures of music, gardening and travel. He always had ready, warm smile. He had a gentle humor, a disarming, friendly and sometimes surprising directness, and a sincere interest in whomever he met, regardless of their station in life.
He is survived by his wife, 3 children (Andrew Lim, Diana Lim, and Alvin Lim), 2 daughters-in-law (Adriana Lungu and Cecilia Zhang), and 7 grandchildren. Family and friends are welcome to a viewing at Money and King Funeral Home in Vienna on Monday, June 11, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church in Great Falls, VA on Tuesday, June 12 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Fairfax Memorial Park in Fairfax, VA.
There will be a reception following the burial service at Golden King Restaurant, 21800 Towncenter Plaza, Sterling, Va 20164
He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He enjoyed most the simple pleasures of music, gardening and travel. He always had ready, warm smile. He had a gentle humor, a disarming, friendly and sometimes surprising directness, and a sincere interest in whomever he met, regardless of their station in life.
He is survived by his wife, 3 children (Andrew Lim, Diana Lim, and Alvin Lim), 2 daughters-in-law (Adriana Lungu and Cecilia Zhang), and 7 grandchildren. Family and friends are welcome to a viewing at Money and King Funeral Home in Vienna on Monday, June 11, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church in Great Falls, VA on Tuesday, June 12 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Fairfax Memorial Park in Fairfax, VA.
There will be a reception following the burial service at Golden King Restaurant, 21800 Towncenter Plaza, Sterling, Va 20164
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Jimmy or Enko as we called him, was a very special big brother to me. He left our home in Singapore to pursue further studies in the USA while I was still in my early teens, and I didn’t get to know him as much as I would like to.
His frequent visits to Singapore, however, has left a lasting impression of the brother he was. My big brother, Big Bra as we affectionately nicknamed him. Always cheerful, always looking at the brighter side of things, he never had a harsh word or raised his voice to me and was always ready to give advice when the occasion called for it. He was very generous with his compliments and always appreciative and polite. He made friends easily and often spoke to strangers, at times, even to our embarrassment. But he was always friendly to anyone and everyone, no matter what their status in life was.
I am sadden that I was not able to be present with him during his last days to comfort him, and I know he suffered a lot from the many surgical operations he underwent, from neck braces, hip replacements, spinal and brain operations and finally, to the surgical interventions on his neck from his last fall. Even in his youth, he was immobilized for some time in a plaster cast for a hip infection. Enko will always be remembered affectionately. I will miss him dearly. May he now rest in peace. I know that we will one day meet again. Goodbye for now Big Bra, as you join our dear parents and my three elder sisters in a life that is everlasting with joy!
Uncle Jimmy lives on in our hearts and minds as a shining example of a true gentleman, good hearted, kind, encouraging, cheerful, humorous and I could go on and on about his wonderful attributes I feel very blessed and honoured to have married into his extended family and given the chance to know him. We have so many lovely memories of time spent in your company over the years even though we were often separated by the oceans and continents. You will always be remembered with love in our hearts and a smile on our faces, Uncle Jimmy!
Enjoying food and laughter with Uncle Jimmy.
Gracious and generous, soft-mannered, kind and positive. A happy soul. You were always our happy and gentle uncle. Rest in peace. It has been a long and ardous journey but you are now in the company of your beloved parents and siblings.
Let the dance go on……..
Ping Lee
Jimmy and I have been friends for almost sixty years. We knew each other when we were young graduate students in North Carolina. He was in the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, while I was at Duke University in Durham. We met at a gathering of Chinese students in the triangle area. There were only two of us coming from the old British Malaya and it was natural that we sought each other out. Jimmy was gentle, pleasant and easy to get along with, and I liked him. Very quickly we became good friends. After he got his Ph.D., he moved to Morgantown West Virginia to be a faculty member of the West Virginia University. I followed suit two years later. Jimmy was in the School of Pharmacy and I was in the Department of Physiology in the School of Medicine. Our offices were in the same Medical Center. His was on the first floor of one wing of the building and mine was on the second floor at the other wing. When I needed a good cup of coffee, I would go down to see Jimmy and he would come up to my lab to chat or look for chemicals for his graduate students. It was our way to get some relief from the very tense daily work. Jimmy was always fun to be with. Our families are very close also. My children call him Uncle Jimmy and his know me as Uncle Ping. Whenever our families got together there was never lack of joy and laughter, not from funny jokes told, but from sharing amusing stories from true life experience. Jimmy always had many interesting stories to tell. So you can tell how much I am going to miss him. In April last year Jimmy and his lovely wife Lena came to the San Francisco Bay area to visit. Together we four (Jimmy, Lena, Lian and I) went to Pier 39 to see the sea lions, China town to have dim sum. We walked the Market Street, then drove to Milpitas to have Penang Char Kwei Tiaw. While we were sipping coffee at the Shoreline Park Cafe near the Google campus in Mountain View, Jimmy said to me : “ Ping, I am getting old , but I think I have lived a very good life”. Yes, a very good life indeed, I agreed.
Recently, in my reading, I came across a line written by the famous Chilean author Isabel Allende on the topic of death in Spanish : “La muerte no existe. La gente solo muere cuando la olvidan. Si puedes recordar me, siempre estaré contigo.” “
Translation : Death does not exist. People die only when they are forgotten. If you can remember me, I will always be with you. “
Jimmy will always be in our fondest memory.
Jimmy and I have been friends for almost sixty years. We knew each other when we were young graduate students in North Carolina. He was in the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, while I was at Duke University in Durham. We met at a gathering of Chinese students in the triangle area. There were only two of us coming from the old British Malaya and it was natural that we sought each other out. Jimmy was gentle, pleasant and easy to get along with, and I liked him. Very quickly we became good friends. After he got his Ph.D., he moved to Morgantown West Virginia to be a faculty member of the West Virginia University. I followed suit two years later. Jimmy was in the School of Pharmacy and I was in the Department of Physiology in the School of Medicine. Our offices were in the same Medical Center. His was on the first floor of one wing of the building and mine was on the second floor at the other wing. When I needed a good cup of coffee, I would go down to see Jimmy and he would come up to my lab to chat or look for chemicals for his graduate students. It was our way to get some relief from the very tense daily work. Jimmy was always fun to be with. Our families are very close also. My children call him Uncle Jimmy and his know me as Uncle Ping. Whenever our families got together there was never lack of joy and laughter, not from funny jokes told, but from sharing amusing stories from true life experience. Jimmy always had many interesting stories to tell. So you can tell how much I am going to miss him. In April last year Jimmy and his lovely wife Lena came to the San Francisco Bay area to visit. Together we four (Jimmy, Lena, Lian and I) went to Pier 39 to see the sea lions, China town to have dim sum. We walked the Market Street, then drove to Milpitas to have Penang Char Kwei Tiaw. While we were sipping coffee at the Shoreline Park Cafe near the Google campus in Mountain View, Jimmy said to me : “ Ping, I am getting old , but I think I have lived a very good life”. Yes, a very good life indeed, I agreed.
Recently, in my reading, I came across a line written by the famous Chilean author Isabel Allende on the topic of death in Spanish : “La muerte no existe. La gente solo muere cuando la olvidan. Si puedes recordar me, siempre estaré contigo.”
Translation :” Death does not exist. People die only when they are forgotten. If you can remember me, I will always be with you. “
Jimmy will always be in our fondest memory.
My father was not a complicated man. He was kind, open and friendly to everyone — family, friends and strangers alike. He loved and cared deeply for his family, and he was exceedingly humble and self-effacing. Indeed, he never wanted to trouble others, choosing to face hardships and personal deprivations, both great and small, quietly and stoically. He never sought acclamation or martyrdom, and no matter what difficulties life brought, they somehow failed to dampen his warmth or joyousness.
My father had the type of personality that was able to charm the most surly, cynical people. I think they were disarmed by his openness and friendliness and his total lack of pretension or ulterior motives. His good humor was infectious, and his thunderous, unrestrained laugh managed to pulverize the invisible walls people construct that separate themselves from one another.
I love my father immensely for these and other countless personal reasons. I will always remember his warm, easy smile and his constant concern for others. I will never forget the tenderness in his eyes as he caressed my hand, despite his unbelievable suffering, when I said my goodbye. For me, that moment epitomizes my father. I will always cherish my memories of this dear, kind, simple man.
Hi Alvin, I am not sure if you remember me. My name is Prasad and I am from Singapore. Dr Lim sponsored an international exchange fellowship for me in 1988 to pursue research at WVU until early 1990. I accidentally came across the very sad news of the loss of your father and would like to belatedly express my condolences to you, Mrs Lim, Andrew and Diana. Myself and my wife Rama remember your family and appreciate the kindness showered on us. We visited your home for Christmas 1989. Having lost my dad early this year, I can understand the grief. My Dad also used to fondly remember Dr and Mrs Lim who took him and my mum out for dinner when they visited us in Morgantown in 1989. Dr Lim was slightly older than my Dad so for me he was more than a father figure – a friend and mentor. During my brief visit to WVU he helped me settle in USA and we worked together on research projects and published scientific papers. He shared all his lab resources including his personal computer, a great asset in those days. I remember the visit to Pittsburgh to buy Asian groceries. Dr Lim drove me to Pittsburg airport to pick up Rama and Abhi who was then a 4 month old baby. Abhi is now a O&G specialist at National University Hospital. If you see this post please contact me at Prasadkpp@gmail.com. If possible I would like to speak to your mum. If anyone from the family is visiting Singapore, please let me know. Best Regards Prasad
I will always remember Uncle Jimmy for his gracious, kind and sincere spirit. Possessing a deep sense of empathy for others, he was always positive about life and people. Although I did not see him very often, on the occasions that we did meet, he always conveyed the feeling that he truly cared about what was happening in my life. I will miss hearing his unique laugh, “Ha! Ha!” he used to exclaim. I am glad you are no longer in pain Uncle Jimmy and that you are now together with your sisters and parents. Rest in peace.
Some happy memories with Uncle Jimmy.
I’d like for his family and friends to know that Dr Lim was one of our favorite professors at the WVU School of Pharmacy. Now, 40+ years later, I remember him fondly. His kindness to his students and his effective teaching style was an important and positive influence on my career. I suspect he is continuing to teach and lead….but now from a greater place.
I second John Kessler’s comments as Dr. Lim was well loved by our class too. He was always friendly often greeting the class with “is everyone happy?” He was an awesome, yet tough instructor and to this day i still have (and have used throughout my career) his pharmaceutics lab manual…a workbook he made specifically for us. His love of pharmaceutics made me interested enough to pursue a career in research which led to recently becoming the Dean of the School he served for so long. Dr. Lim may be gone, but his inspiration and joy for teaching lives in many pharmacists.
Dr. Lim was one of my favorite professors at WVU School of Pharmacy. Always resplendent in his starched white lab coat, I often urged him to put rocks in his pockets on windy days if he chose to walk outside at lunchtime. I was lucky to be asked to do a research project with him while in pharmacy school. He called me “Soosee” & insisted that another classmate with the same last name was my sister. You were one of my favorites, Dr. Lim…..love, Suzanne Smith-Fox, RPh Class of 1981