I had an uncle that died in 1998. He never had a birth certificate.
Meatloaf,
That jogs my memory, my granny was born on a farm in 1898 and all she had was a baptism certificate. She never learned how to drive, and fortunately when she married my grandpa they moved to a city with excellent public transport.
Anything that needed proof of age they would accept that document.
It was almost 11 by 17 heavy paper with ornate writing and bordering.
I guess she predated the strict ID requirements for bank accounts and so forth. But she was traditional and a lot of things were done in conjunction with her husband.
I guess Mr. Lee/Choy was able to thread the needle regarding ID requirements ..probably the last generation to be able to do that.