Beloved Chinatown Yee Mee Loo Bartender Richard Mah Remembered in Celebrant Funeral Service

In a true celebration of his life, a Celebrant funeral service was recently held at Abbott & Hast Mortuary in Silver Lake for 73-year-old Richard Mah, a bartender of the infamous Yee Mee Loo in Chinatown. During his 13 years as a bartender at Yee Mee Loo, Richard became as famous as the bar. Throughout his life, Richard was putting money away, hanging onto his dream of opening his own bar.

Los Angeles Funeral Celebrant Andrea Schenck met with Richard's stepson, Sgt. Anthony Banks, and then researched Richard's story on the Internet to help celebrate his life.

"The Internet helped with Richard's work history as a bartender and helped me to piece together the story of his life. By doing searches on www.Google.com I searched 'Yee Mee Loo' and 'Richard Mah' and was fortunate to find many web site postings about both Richard as a bartender and the history of the Yee Mee Loo. I read a sampling of these postings in the service. It was an interesting search. Besides getting a better mental picture of Richard in his professional life, I also learned a little about Los Angeles' history that I did not know before," Schenck noted. "There's also a Facebook page for the Yee Mee Loo and its followers still mourn the bar and good memories of Richard. I also spoke with John, a police officer, that knew Richard since the 1970s. John really got to know him and made a true friend. Richard had a great story. He was a quirky man who was a life-long bartender, loved horse racing, and ended up living in his car in the end because he was saving money to buy his own bar. He took care of everyone he met and was always giving his money away to anyone that asked. He was truly an amazing individual and probably the most giving person around."

Through her research and personal conversations with family and friends, Schenck compiled stories from Richard's life.

Richard Mah was born in China in 1936. When he was in his 20s, he moved from Hong Kong to Canada and then made his way to Los Angeles. He worked as a bartender at Yee Mee Loo and later moved on to the Good Luck Bar, which was fashioned after the Yee Mee Loo. "Richard is truly missed at the Good Luck Bar, too," Schenck added.

Richard married and took his two stepchildren, Anthony and Jasmine, under his wings. He often took the kids to MacArthur Park to play. When Anthony was two or three, Richard made a trip to Canada to spend time with Richard's mother. Richard even taught Anthony a few words of Chinese so to impress his traditional Chinese grandmother.

In many ways, Richard led by example through his kindness, giving nature, and advice. He educated Anthony on the importance of wearing Jade. Jade is known to imbue good energies towards its wearers, while at the same time, drawing away from harmful bad energies. Jade is known to shatter or crack so the wearer doesn't break.

Anthony also learned about the world of horseracing from Richard. In fact, horse racing was one of Richard's biggest passions in life. He was even born in the year of the Horse. After the couple divorced, the kids didn't live with Richard, but they always stayed close by going to Santa Anita Park or Hollywood Park to watch the races, going to the movies, or later in life, out for a drink.

"The overall theme of Richard's life was that he was so giving. He took care of everyone he came into contact with," Schenck said, "including family, friends and patrons. He was a calm, caring presence for everyone in his life."

Richard married a second time, but when his wife passed away, he made a choice. Instead of continuing to pay rent, he opted to sleep in his wife's car while he used his car for transportation. Schenck said Richard made the choice to live in a car so all of his money could go toward buying a bar of his own. But, in early 2009, Richard suffered a stroke and fell into a coma until August 9th of this year, when he passed away.

"When Richard was moved into the hospital, all of his mail went to his stepson Anthony. That's when Anthony learned how far reaching Richard's giving went," Schenck said. "He received numerous thank you postcards from charitable organizations, Democrats and Republicans, World Wildlife, religious organizations, Native American causes and the list goes on. Richard gave to everyone."

For the funeral service, Schenck worked with the funeral home and the family to set up an altar with a few photos, flowers and bartending supplies.

"I found photos on the Internet of the Yee Mee Loo, a graphic of the matchbook cover, and a photo of the bar from the 1950s. I framed them and those photos were a part of the altar. During the service, I opened it up for people to share. A young guy from the Good Luck Bar, an old friend of Richard's, and Anthony's wife shared stories. I was so moved when I invited others to share. The people who spoke included one from each of his worlds: family, work and friends. All three were touched in similar ways by his giving and kind nature. What was interesting was that none of these people knew each other because Richard kept his worlds separate, but they all experienced the same amazing person. Through their words, everyone present could feel how much Richard was loved and would be dearly missed."

Schenck really connected with Richard's life story. "I truly believe Richard was put on this earth to serve and care for others. I believe this is what he loved and he lived everyday of his life until he fell ill doing that - serving others. Professionally he was always a bartender and dreamed of owning his own bar, continuing his mission of service to others. Outside of work, he was always caring for his family and friends unconditionally and without complaint. I feel he lived a purposeful and fulfilled life. The first poem in the service spoke to his character. He was defined by his actions. His friend John asked for the copy of the eulogy and felt the poem 'Tribute on the Passing of a Very Real Person' (from an unknown author - the source Poems that Touch the Heart, Compiled by A.L. Alexander) was written with Richard in mind."

After conducting the service, Schenck was clearly moved by the experience. "I learned that every person has a story, even if they live a private and quiet life. We are all unique beings and honoring and remembering a life is a gift. I feel blessed that I get to meet so many different people and for just a day, I get to experience and celebrate these lives. Richard Mah was an amazing person that I was fortunate enough to experience. I felt honored to be a part of Richard's service."

Pictured: Yee Mee Loo matchbook - Yee Mee Loo operated from the 1930s to the 1980s in Chinatown