Obituaries

Madison – Char Lim died at UW Hospital, in Madison on April 4, 2024. He was born in Aur Sralao Battambang, Cambodia to Hey and Tai Seang. Char entered the United States through the United Nations Refugee Agency in 1979 during the Khmer Rouge regime. Sharon Grossman Gilbert, working as a Red Cross nurse in Camp Kao-a-Dung, met Char who was seeking medical attention at the time. Sharon contacted Vernon and Maureen Witt in Clinton, Iowa who became sponsored parents for Char. The couple nurtured Char’s illness by taking him to Mayo Clinic where he received his heart mechanical valve.

Char went to high school in Clinton, but then decided to move to Madison, WI to join with his best friend VY San to find a job. He landed a cleaning job at Madison Sales and Service where he met his wife, Maria Bayquing. Char and Maria were married at the Madison Court House on October 9, 1985, til present. Char and Maria’s wedding was at 7:00am, went to eat breakfast at Oven’s of Brittany on University Avenue, then went to work after. Char tried to get his GED at Madison Technical College downtown but decided it was not his forte and focused on his family.

Char loved going fishing with his wife and boys Jackei Andrew Lim and Matthew “Panda” Lim. He loved to watch sports and was a Packer fan. Char was a Badger fan, but when the Badgers and Hawkeyes played, he cheered for both teams and often yelled at them for not doing their best. He also loved watching the Brewers and the Milwaukee Bucks play. He listened to Khmer, English, and Latin music. He fully supported his wife’s singing hobby whether in choir at St. Peter or karaoke while she was DJing. Char also loved taking care of his wife’s vegetable and flower garden.

Char has 8 siblings, Mao Lim who lives in Madison and the rest are in Cambodia. He has nieces and nephews galore in Cambodia but two are in Madison, Genevie, and Kyle Lim. Char’s in-laws are all in the Philippines.

Char always worked two jobs. He worked full time at Meriter as a housekeeping in ER for 38 years but part of it was at Methodist Hospital which merged with Madison General Hospital and became Meriter. He also worked at Kramer Printing for 30 years part time and retired in 2022 as his health started declining. He officially retired last year from Meriter.

I would like to thank everyone at the Meriter ER, ICU, and all the staff that assisted in Char’s transfer to UW. His UW journey started from Neuro, Cardiovascular, and TLC unit. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all doctors, nurses, ENT team, Chaplain and housekeeping who kept Char’s life in check during his stay. You all gave us the support, the gleam light of hope for Char’s survival. Char’s state of mind never faded till his last breath, but his flesh and body had given up on him.

A visitation will be held from 4pm until 7pm on Friday, April 19, 2024, at Ryan Funeral Home, 2418 N Sherman Ave, Madison. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at St. Peter Catholic Church, 5001 N Sherman Ave, Madison with Fr. Michael Tarigopula presiding. A visitation will be held from 10am until the time of mass. A luncheon will follow at the church, to which everyone is invited.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the family to help cover Char's medical expenses. To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.

Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Service

2418 N Sherman Ave

608-249-8257