Jimmy Eng

Owner, King Yum Restaurant
Jimmy Eng, 87, a native of a small province in China and resident of Flushing, passed away of a heart attack on December 31, 2007.
For more than half a century, Eng entertained and fed countless New Yorkers in his very successful Chinese-American restaurant, King Yum, established in 1953.
Eng, affectionately referred to as “Uncle Jimmy,” was a very self-sufficient person, described by many customers as a friendly man who loved to entertain his restaurant’s patrons with karaoke, jokes and of course, excellent Chinese-American cuisine.
“He had a life of serving others,” said Mimi, Eng’s daughter. “He always made every person in the restaurant an extended family member… I think that was the secret of his success. He built such a legacy in Queens…the staff, family members, and customers are all very sad.”
Eng is survived by his daughter, Mimi, age 58; and two sons, Roy, 57 and Robin, 56 (married to Roberta Eng, 50). Eng also had seven grandchildren: Brian Lam, 30, Jonathan Lam, 27, Adam Lam, 23, Jennifer Ciriello, 32, Christina Loyette, 31, Erica Eng, 24, and Jessie Eng, 20; and two great-grandchildren: Samantha Ciriello, 8, and Kylie Purtell, 1 month.
A wake was held at the Ng Fook Funeral Home, 36 Mott Street in Manhattan. Eng’s funeral will take place on January 14 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the same location.