Obituary of York Kue Chan

February 14, 2021

York Kue Chan
March 19, 1932 – February 14, 2021

York K. Chan, the former President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), passed away on Sunday, February 14, at age 92. During his extraordinary lifetime, his love for all was evident in his tremendous contributions to Chinese-Americans, the Chinatown community in New York, and others in need.

Mr. Chan grew up in Guangzhou, China, and immigrated to the United States in 1979. He operated a farm in Long Island and became actively involved with the Chinatown community after his retirement. He served in multiple capacities in Chinese-American community organizations: President & Advisor of CCBA, President and Convener of the Advisory Board of Lin Sing Association, Honorary President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Advisor of Gee How Oak Tin Association, Board of Director of United Orient Bank, President of National Sun Yat-sen University Alumni Association of East America, President of Pui Ching Alumni Association of the Eastern USA Chapter, Chairman of New York Chinese School, Chairman of Chinatown Day Care Center, and others.

During Mr. Chan's tenure as the CCBA President (also known as the Mayor of Chinatown) from 2004-2006, his inspirational leadership led Chinatown to recover from the devastating impact of the 9/11 attack. He successfully coordinated a community round table meeting in Chinatown and requested resources from the local and federal government. These efforts later led to the founding of Chinatown Partnership Local Development Cooperation (CPLDC) and Chinatown Business Improvement District (BID). Mr. Chan promoted and coordinated voter registration in the Chinese-American communities and encouraged citizens to vote in elections. He successfully organized the mayoral and borough presidential debates in Chinatown for the Democratic candidates, bringing awareness to the issues affected by Chinese-Americans.

Mr. Chan's concerns about Chinese-American affairs extended well beyond Chinatown. During his term as CCBA President, he worked with the community to raise over $800K for the victims of the 2004 Tsunami in Asia and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. After he served as CCBA president, he founded an education foundation to encourage Chinese students to pursue higher education and to assist their community. His considerable and continuous efforts have been recognized by both the U.S. and the Chinese government.

Mr. Chan peacefully passed away from complications due to COVID-19 at New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital on Sunday, February 14. Due to the pandemic, the family will host a private funeral. Mr. Chan is survived by his wife Linda, daughter Victoria (Michael) Chan-Frazier, and granddaughter Phoenix Chan-Frazier as well as a close community of dear friends with whom he shared his life. He was a loving and beloved husband, father, and grandfather. Although he will be greatly missed, his legacy of love and generosity continues.

The family respectfully requests that, in lieu of flowers, any donations made in his memory be made to the New York Chinese School to help continue his rich and everlasting legacy. www.nychineseschool.org

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