Jimmy Yee was born on February 16, 1934 in Canton, China. He passed into the arms of God at Lovelace Hospital, Albuquerque on June 6, 2026, where friends and family had been at his side during his final days. 

Jimmy came to the United States in 1952 alone, and with no knowledge of English. He eventually met his grandfather, who worked in a Chinese restaurant on 4th Street in Albuquerque. 

Jimmy met his wife, May, in Sacramento, California where he worked in the restaurant that was owned by her father. They left Sacramento and married in Reno, Nevada on April 3. 1959. 

Jimmy and May moved to Roswell, New Mexico where they resided as Jimmy worked in a restaurant called the Chew Den. They moved to Alamogordo, where they opened their first restaurant , the Chinese Dragon, on White Sands Blvd in 1963. They relocated later to 1st Street, and later to their last restaurant on White Sands Blvd in the old Godfather Pizza building. They owned 3 restaurants over a 45 year span. 

Both May and Jimmy became US citizens at the mid points of their lives.

Jimmy’s other activities were many. Through more than four decades, he used both his business and personal energy to strengthen Alamogordo. Jimmy was known for much more than the restaurant. People entrusted him with leadership roles, sought his support for community projects, and recognized his contributions publicly. 

He was a successful businessman and a respected community leader. He was named Citizen of the Year in 1982. He helped guide political campaigns and was involved in city, county, and state politics. He supported youth sports, schools, charities, softball, bowling, and golf teams and tournaments. His projects included public safety programs, such as CrimeStoppers, and he served on the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce Board. 

Jimmy was preceded in death by his wife May, who passed away in September of 2020. Jimmy looked forward to reuniting with May his last year of life. 

He is survived by his son, Donald Yee and wife Diana, of Albuquerque, and daughter, Susan Yee, also of Albuquerque. He is also survived by granddaughters Corrie Yee of Los Angeles, CA, and Malia Yee, of Las Vegas, NV.

The family would also like to extend their gratitude to friends, Cathy Garcia, Kathy McCutcheon, Ive Schwebach,, Muwen Shi, Qin Xiang, NeNe Miller, and Michelle Saunders, for their support and many expressions of kindness. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Crime Stoppers of Otero County. Their address is 1111 10th Street, Box 482, Alamogordo, NM. 88310.

The family of Jimmy has entrusted care of their loved one to Alamogordo Funeral Home. A memorial service is planned for July 12, at 6pm in Alamogordo, location is posted on Facebook. Those wishing to attend this celebration of life are requested to RSVP at Facebook, Jimmy Yee Memorial by July 7th, 2026.