Kuang Ine Lu

Kuang Ine Lu or “Lu” as he simply liked to be called passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones in the evening of September 27, 2023. Husband of Ranko; much loved father of Hoshi (Ji Ai), Anna (Sheuan) and Linus (Elfreda); cherished grandfather to Naiomi, Dylan, Amelia, Declan, and Takashi; and uncle to numerous nieces and nephews; friend to many.

Predeceased by his parents and five brothers that he loved dearly. And being the youngest of his brothers, Lu was weary of reading obituaries detailing the heroic battles with ailments. Instead, Lu wanted it known that he passed away from chasing his dreams, being fearless and utterly stubborn, drinking an excessive amount of wine and using up all his luck in Mah Jong and the casinos.

Lu was born in Tamsui, Taiwan to Jingzhou Lu and Chen Wanzhi, both educators. His formative years were spent in Tamsui town naturally gravitating toward higher learning in engineering and sciences balanced with a zest for athletics, especially football. With the Japanese occupation, he became fluent in Japanese which eventually led to opportunities to study abroad, completing his Masters of Geological Engineering at Waseda University and PhD in Geology at University of Tokyo. He spoke with reverence for his Doctoral Professor Watanabe and established many of his lifetime friendships during these years. During this time, he met the love of his life, Ranko, through an interest in music.

In 1970, with his pioneering spirit, Lu packed a clean shirt, took Ranko and a 5-year-old Hoshi by his hands, held his breath and settled on the North Shore of Vancouver where he would work and be surrounded by mountains and the seas. Shortly after their arrival, Anna and Linus were born prompting Lu to buy more aspirin.

Lu’s career spanned the globe and thousands of mileage points. From the Arctic tundra to the deserts of the Middle East, jungles of the Amazon, rainforests of Indonesia and to the mountains of Oregon. His souvenirs were bags of rocks, fossils, odd animal parts, tiny hotel soaps, and spoons (both airline and collectable). Shortly after Lu started working for the United Nations, the collection of souvenirs prompted Ranko to ask for a bigger house.

Lu loved food. He would tell stories of oyster omelets at Taipei’s night markets to having grilled anaconda meat in Guyana. His favorite food was anything Ranko was cooking on the stove. He would pair her cooking with a bottle of wine he would find in his wine cellar.

Lu would have happily shown you his rock collection. If you are still interested, there are a hundred rocks in his collection, which we have no clue what to do with. Please wait for an appropriate amount of time before contacting the family to obtain some rocks. Tonight, will be alright.

Lu’s passing leaves a void in our lives. He will be missed for his relentless pursuit of knowledge. He will be missed at the dining room table.

A visitation for Lu will be held Thursday, October 12, 2023, from 4:00pm to 6pm at Ocean View Funeral Home, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby BC. A private funeral will be held on October 13th, 2023. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer Society.