The history of San Soo contains all the facts of how Lo Si Fu was raised on the art of Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung from a child. It explains the lineage and how San Soo came to America, but while it has all the facts, it does not contain the essence of who Lo Si Fu or Jimmy H. Woo was, and is, to many people. In many ways, the man we knew is very different from the young man that grew up in China. As a youth, he was known to start and end the trouble, but with age came wisdom. That wisdom is evident in the man we came to know and admire. In order to explain who he was, we must look at what he said and what he held dear.

"Best Defense is run if I can. I don't want to kill unless I have no choice...Life is more important than anything on this planet."

This statement made by Lo Si Fu shows the heart of the man. He could defend himself in almost any situation, and as a youth and young man did, but with experience chose to run instead of fight. Is this because he was a coward? No, he respected human life above all else! Lo Si Fu knew what he was capable of doing and did not have to prove himself a man. This statement also shows the humility of the man and his willingness to learn from his impetuous youth. As a young man he looked for trouble and was known for being a troublemaker, but again, with age came wisdom. He was not afraid to look like a coward to preserve a life. In his memorial video, Lo Si Fu explained, "You are a stronger, better fighter, you don't have to fight anyone to prove it."

What makes a man, who is able to kill with his bare hands, so humble and philosophical? In China there is a saying, "humility gains and pride loses." Maybe Lo Si Fu's humility was a part of his culture, or was it learned along with his daily martial arts lessons? Lo Si Fu told a story from his childhood: When he was very young and learning the art, his uncle, Chin Siu Hung, would go around and pick fights for him. The opponent was often much bigger and possibly stronger than himself. Little Chin Siu Dek had to fight these opponents as part of his training. He did not say, but could he have possibly won every fight? It seems humility could have been found in these battles. Along with these hard fought lessons, he also learned the wisdom of not fighting. He realized that there maybe someone bigger and stronger than you around the next corner. A wise man chooses his fight.

Part of the humbleness of the man is found in this statement made to his students, "You think you learn from me, I learn from you too, you believe it." Do we ever achieve ultimate knowledge? Do we ever become all knowing? Lo Si Fu realized that life was an unending classroom with lessons learned everyday from various sources. He respected the students as well as his contemporaries. One student he learned from was Pastor Raul Ries. As a born again Christian, Raul shared with Lo Si Fu about Jesus Christ and he recognized the transformation in Raul's life after he had accepted the Lord. Three weeks prior to his death, he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. We can all take a lesson from this wise man. Do we miss valuable lessons because they come from an unlikely source?

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