Thomas is survived by his wife Carol Shiu Han, children Jeffrey (Kathy) and David (Corris) and treasured grandchildren Nicole (Josiah), Ryan, Caleb, Noah and Liya.
Thomas was born on December 2, 1932 in Yin Ping, Kwangtung, China and immigrated to Canada in 1949. He diligently worked at various places including a convenience store on Kingsway in Vancouver, a lumber mill on Vancouver Island, and restaurants in the greater Vancouver area. He married Carol in 1959 and they raised 2 children.
Thomas owned and operated a western style Chinese restaurant from the early 1960s until the mid-1990s. Living in Vancouver with his family, he traveled to and from his restaurant that was open for business 364 days a year in Surrey. During those decades, the Rickshaw restaurant was a community magnet for meetings, banquets, family dinners and special occasions of all kinds. Loyal patrons knew him as “Tommy”. His welcoming smile, likeable nature, friendly demeanor made his customers and staff feel comfortable around him as they found him to be generous, interesting and engaging. He supported numerous local community organizations including the sponsoring of minor hockey and little league baseball teams.
He enjoyed many things including being an innovative entrepreneur, having good conversations, sharing his opinions on many topics, playing Mahjong and eating good food. During his retirement years, he embraced new interests and activities including: playing badminton, singing karaoke, traveling, gardening, spending time with his grandchildren, having coffee at the local mall while talking to friends, reading the daily newspaper at the library and chatting with neighbors.
He was loving, kind, mindful and grateful of others around him.
Thomas passed peacefully on May 9, 2024 at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital.
~ Dad / Yeh Yeh, we love you very much and we will miss you. Your legacy will live on. You will always be in our hearts.
Service will be held on Tuesday, May 28, at 1:00 pm at Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 3789 Royal Oak Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5G 3M1.
In lieu of flowers and in honor of the care provided by the health care professionals including support staff at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, please kindly consider a donation to the St. Paul’s Foundation in memory of Thomas. Please find a link to the foundation below.
Friends and relatives are also encouraged to leave condolences, fond memories and also upload photos below.
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