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The man sitting down is my grandpa. He came to America when he was young and settled here in SF where he raised my mom. He was the only grandparent that was actually fortunate enough to see his grandchildren grow. He was also a main source where we learned about our elders and culture before his passing.

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I chose my maternal grandfather, Raul Lopez. he was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and I chose him because he has been a huge impact in my life. He was a bus driver most of his life back home so he had a very laborious life and migrated to the US with my mom in hopes of a better life. he passed away in 2018. he was a very important person in my life because he was one of my father figures.

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Mai-Anh often said that when life is a song, anyone of us could sing, but when it is a requiem, only then is our true voice heard.  Mai-Anh lived her life truly, giving freely of herself to those she loved and at times to strangers with no expectations of anything in return.  She loved with all her heart and soul for 38 years, the last 13 years with her husband, John Dam, and two young sons, Robert and Maxander Van Dam (6 and 4 years old respectively).

Mai-Anh came to this country from Vietnam with her parents and five siblings when she was nine years old. They left their war-torn home to start anew with nothing more than they could carry.

In 2000, Mai-Anh was diagnosed with breast cancer and she faced her disease with the same strength, conviction, and determination that she had used to overcome all previous obstacles in her life. She maintained a positive outlook, and an active lifestyle, enjoying the time she had with her family and friends – never succumbing to self-pity or depression. The grace with which she both dealt with her condition and accepted her ultimate fate was truly an inspiration to all who knew her.

The legacy she left behind is one of love and compassion.  During her illness she had been contemplating three questions which had been on her mind since she was a young child, what is real, what is everlasting, and what is love?  She died on the evening of June 23, 2004, with peace in her heart and with the conviction in her soul that while her body is gone, the love and compassion she left behind will live forever.

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My Dad Frank Yoo immigrated from Seoul Korea in 1963.   He passed way in 2018. I am bringing him into the room.   My Dad’s life can be best described as one of persistence and tenacity.    He was on a student visa for 15 years. He had completed chiropractic school and failed the board exams 7 times.  Due to English as his second language, being a dad with 3 kids, and working full-time as a carpenter, he couldn’t pass those exams. It wasn’t until the storms of 1978 where California experienced 6 months of a downpour and he was unemployed that he passed those exams.  In his 40s, he started his career as a chiropractor. We can learn to keep trying and trying and trying.  And if it doesn’t work, maybe the rains will come.

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Mai-Anh often said that when life is a song, anyone of us could sing, but when it is a requiem, only then is our true voice heard.  Mai-Anh lived her life truly, giving freely of herself to those she loved and at times to strangers with no expectations of anything in return.  She loved with all her heart and soul for 38 years, the last 13 years with her husband, John Dam, and two young sons, Robert and Maxander Van Dam (6 and 4 years old respectively).

Mai-Anh came to this country from Vietnam with her parents and five siblings when she was nine years old. They left their war-torn home to start anew with nothing more than they could carry.

In 2000, Mai-Anh was diagnosed with breast cancer and she faced her disease with the same strength, conviction, and determination that she had used to overcome all previous obstacles in her life. She maintained a positive outlook, and an active lifestyle, enjoying the time she had with her family and friends – never succumbing to self-pity or depression. The grace with which she both dealt with her condition and accepted her ultimate fate was truly an inspiration to all who knew her.

The legacy she left behind is one of love and compassion.  During her illness she had been contemplating three questions which had been on her mind since she was a young child, what is real, what is everlasting, and what is love?  She died on the evening of June 23, 2004, with peace in her heart and with the conviction in her soul that while her body is gone, the love and compassion she left behind will live forever.

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The woman in all black without sunglasses is my great grandmother. Shes the oldest relative I know but I still would like to know more about her past because she has trouble remembering her past. All my family members minus me and my brother are from Zacatecas so I think this place has great significance in my family's past.

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This is my grandma, she’s was born in raised in Cordoba, Veracruz, Mexico.  She is the backbone of this family. She decided to move to the United States about 25 years ago and left everything behind to be with her daughters and sons and her grandchildren. She has definitely taught me many life lessons.

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I am so sad that my neighbor John “Jack” Moylett of 19 years died in October 2021.  He was 87 years old.   He was the best neighbor I have ever had. He was not just a neighbor but family. While raising our kids, Jack and his wife Kathleen were surrogate grandparents to my kids.  When the kids were little, we would make a field trip to their house almost everyday.  Kathleen was definitely the glue and the good cheer of the Moylett family. She would always have baked goods or a treat for the kids.  Our own families were a 7 hour drive away… so Kathleen and Jack became our surrogate grandparents being there when our own parents could not.  Like any grandparents,  they would marvel at the new things that the kids were learning and just take in their adorableness.  Kathleen would visit the kids Back to School night and go to our kids soccer games.  Jack helped carve our first Jack O Lantern pumpkin.  Jack with his amazing skills helped us fix some of Albert’s toys  including a carving by hand a wheel that had fallen off his push toys.  Jack would attend the kids basketball games. And then when one of our pipes had exploded and there was no plumber for days, Jack came over and capped the pipe.  And when we were gone they watched our homes like it was their home.

When his wife Kathleen died in 2009, we were so worried about Jack our neighbor, our grandpa.  We were worried that Jack would be in deep grief.  My Dad and Jack had met during my parents frequent trips to the SF Bay. They were the same age.  Jack had served in the navy at the tail end of the Korean War.  In 2010, we asked him if he would do a road trip with our family to Southern California.  He agreed and  we had a three day adventure with my Dad, Jack and the kids.  If you knew my Dad, he loved to connect and ask you all kinds of zany questions.  Jack didn’t seem to mind. Jack accompanied my Dad to a urologist appointment at Kaiser and talked about all their medical/chronic health issues.   Jack seemed to get along with my Dad and could really see him and listen to my Dad’s endless chatter.   He would put up with Dad’s intrusive questions including -- Do you miss Kathleen?  Do you talk with her? My  funniest memories are my Dad driving Jack around to all his favorite Korean food spots in Orange County.  For three nights in a row, we took him to Korean food ….. Jack may have OD’ed on Korean BBQ, banchan and kimchi and dried seaweed because when he came back from that trip he was a regular at Kukje, the Korean market in Daly City, and he would always announce that he had heard of a new Korean restaurant opening up.  And for the next couple of Christmases, he would always get us a Korean present from Kukje.

Social distancing during COVID-19  has made our  grief more complicated as I wished we had more time with Jack, our neighbor and adopted Irish grandpa.    I am grateful for the moments we did have.  I am grateful we knew Jack. His life has reminded me to have an open heart and to realize that sometimes the small things are really the big things in life.  Rest in peace and love Jack Moylett.

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My family is from Bangalore and it is also where my maternal grandfather worked as an architect. I chose my grandfather because I have heard so many stories about his work and how he helped design the state capital building.

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I am bringing my maternal grandmother into this space! I chose her because she is a strong womyn and has made an impact in the lives of everyone who she met. Her birthday is June 25, 1924. We called her "Ansang" and she was a very special person to my mom. The pin is placed in Aguilar, Pangasinan, Philippines. She was born and raised in Aguilar. Surviving World War II, they would dig a hole, put leaves and dirt on top of the roof and hide under it until the enemy forces left. She was a hardworking mom, raising 8 children. They were only farmers, however all of her children went to college. Every time they went to the banana plantation, she sold bananas to the market. They got a lot of pigs, cows, and chickens on their farm.