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In keeping with her larger than life personality, Helen Noh Lee gracefully departed this earth at the age of 89 on September 11, 2018, a momentous date that her family and the rest of the world will forever remember. The youngest of four children born to Nam Yee Chun and Won Sik Noh, Helen attended Roosevelt High School, Juilliard School of Music, and the University of Hawai'i, where she received a B.A. in music. In 1949, at the age of 21, Helen entered a talent competition sponsored by the Hawaiian Electric Company. She was awarded one of two music scholarships and after a rigorous and competitive audition process in New York, she was admitted to The Juilliard School of Music to study voice. She enjoyed her adventure in New York City, but chose to return to Hawaii, where she eventually met Edwin "Boody" Lee, who became her beloved husband of over sixty years, and who died last year. As a voice teacher and choir director, she taught and mentored many talented students at Punahou School and 'Iolani School, directed church choirs at the First Presbyterian Church and the Community Church of Honolulu, and performed in local theatre productions. Her busy schedule always included her commitment to the community, which spanned many decades. Helen delivered Meals on Wheels to the elderly and physically challenged, and as recently as July she read and recorded books for the blind at the Hawai'i State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. In addition to her love of music, Helen's creative spirit guided her hand at sewing, making mosaics, haku lei, and custom-designed decoupaged purses that became very popular with local and non-local collectors. Friends and family will miss her beautiful voice, her quick wit, and her generous heart. It should be of no surprise to those who knew her that she has donated her body to the John A. Burns School of Medicine's Willed Body Program, to make her last contribution to students and to the service of her community. She is survived by her three daughters: Edgy Lee, (Marc Cohen) Bonni Lee, (Arthur Chobanian) and Laurie Lee (Yunus Peer); 4 grandchildren: Emma Lee-Chobanian, Kawena Goss, Cook Lee-Chobanian and Anuhea Goss, and dear caregiver Marlon "Loni" Vave. A celebration of life will held be on Friday, October 12, at the Community Church of Honolulu, 2345 Nuuanu Avenue. Visitation: 3:00 p.m. Service: 4:00 p.m. Aloha attire. Arrangements Provided By: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC
In keeping with her larger than life personality, Helen Noh Lee gracefully departed this earth at the age of 89 on September 11, 2018, a momentous date that her family and the rest of the world will forever remember. The youngest of four children born to Nam Yee Chun and Won Sik Noh, Helen attended Roosevelt High School, Juilliard School of Music, and the University of Hawai'i, where she received a B.A. in music. In 1949, at the age of 21, Helen entered a talent competition sponsored by the Hawaiian Electric Company. She was awarded one of two music scholarships and after a rigorous and competitive audition process in New York, she was admitted to The Juilliard School of Music to study voice. She enjoyed her adventure in New York City, but chose to return to Hawaii, where she eventually met Edwin "Boody" Lee, who became her beloved husband of over sixty years, and who died last year. As a voice teacher and choir director, she taught and mentored many talented students at Punahou School and 'Iolani School, directed church choirs at the First Presbyterian Church and the Community Church of Honolulu, and performed in local theatre productions. Her busy schedule always included her commitment to the community, which spanned many decades. Helen delivered Meals on Wheels to the elderly and physically challenged, and as recently as July she read and recorded books for the blind at the Hawai'i State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. In addition to her love of music, Helen's creative spirit guided her hand at sewing, making mosaics, haku lei, and custom-designed decoupaged purses that became very popular with local and non-local collectors. Friends and family will miss her beautiful voice, her quick wit, and her generous heart. It should be of no surprise to those who knew her that she has donated her body to the John A. Burns School of Medicine's Willed Body Program, to make her last contribution to students and to the service of her community. She is survived by her three daughters: Edgy Lee, (Marc Cohen) Bonni Lee, (Arthur Chobanian) and Laurie Lee (Yunus Peer); 4 grandchildren: Emma Lee-Chobanian, Kawena Goss, Cook Lee-Chobanian and Anuhea Goss, and dear caregiver Marlon "Loni" Vave. A celebration of life will held be on Friday, October 12, at the Community Church of Honolulu, 2345 Nuuanu Avenue. Visitation: 3:00 p.m. Service: 4:00 p.m. Aloha attire. Arrangements Provided By: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
