Yu Kwen "Miriam" Davis

Yu Kwen “Miriam” Davis of Hillsborough, NJ passed away peacefully on July 5, 2021, at Bridgeway Care and Rehabilitation Center, at the age of 89.

Miriam was born Yu Kwen Lee in Shanghai, China on November 18, 1931 to Sow Ching Shih and General Shao Ting Lee.  Yu Kwen grew up in Nanjing with her parents and step-siblings.  In 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party took over China, Yu Kwen fled to Taiwan with her parents and step-sister.

Yu Kwen soon emigrated to the United States – on her own – to attend Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ.  There she was baptized, taking the Christian name of Miriam, and received a BA degree in chemistry in 1955.

Yu Kwen married Don Davis, of Orange, NJ on November 15, 1958.  During the early years of their marriage the couple resided in New Providence, Murray Hill, Stirling and Gillette.  In 1965 they purchased a brand-new house in Basking Ridge, which was their home for more than 50 years.  

Yu Kwen was preceded in death by her husband Don, her parents, and her step-sister, Yu Chin Lee.  She is survived by two children and four grandchildren: daughter Daretia Carmichael and son-in-law Dwight, of The Woodlands, TX, and their children, Stewart and Leah; daughter Danette Purkis and son-in-law Ray of Belle Mead, NJ and their children, Emily and Ian.

Visitation will be from 10am to 11am on Friday, July 23 at Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 East Main Street, Bridgewater, NJ 08807.  A funeral service will be held there at 11am, followed by a burial at Somerset Hills Memorial Park in Basking Ridge. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Yu Kwen and Don’s favorite charities: SAVE Animal Shelter (https://savehomelessanimals.org/donate/) or The Salvation Army (https://www.salvationarmyusa.org).

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