Mrs. Pansy Faune Louie

     Born in Victoria, B.C., Pat Louie (nee Wong) was raised in rural Saskatchewan along with nine brothers and sisters. Theirs was the only Chinese family in town. It couldn’t have been easy. As a young girl, she would watch the trains pull away and dream of the day when she would clamber aboard and leave for the big city. 

     Pat was 16 when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She spent a year under the watchful eyes of the nuns at the TB sanitorium in Fort Qu’Appelle. Despite an order of strict bedrest, she’d often sneak out at night to skate on the frozen pond. She survived that and the Great Depression, then came the war and off she went to work at the airplane factory in Moose Jaw. 

     A real beauty, Pat met and married Alex Louie in 1948 because he made her laugh and, more importantly, because they shared similar dreams. The young couple started married life in a cold-water flat on the outskirts of Vancouver’s Chinatown until they could afford to lay the foundation for their first home. Once, she packed a basket and she and Alex dined under the stars before the roof was completed. They never moved.  

      Her youngest once quipped her mother could make an airplane out of a paper clip, some string and an elastic band. Pat was whip-smart, but times being what they were, life for her was rather measured. Perhaps that’s why she threw herself at a seemingly endless number of night school classes. In quick succession, Pat learned to type (furiously); play “stride” piano (apparently more “swing” than “ragtime”); and created whimsical jewelry out of delicately coloured shells. Her kids recall a brief infatuation with millinery during which she produced an alarming number of very professional-looking hats.   

     Money was tight in those early years, but Pat saw to it that her four children were always well-dressed. Mark’s dress pants itched mightily because Pat insisted on pure wool. The little girls wore velvet dresses sewn from a pattern she made herself--the collars neatly hand-beaded with pricey glass bugle beads. She was a fabulous baker but, to her dismay, never mastered the art of a flaky pie crust.  

     One day she announced she’d gotten herself a job selling furs at The Bay just because someone told her she couldn’t. She loved crossword puzzles, read books by the box, kept up-to-date on world events and always had a well-considered opinion. She and Alex travelled the world, spending winters in Hawaii---her favourite place. Then Alex died suddenly. After that, age caught up with her and life became much smaller.  

      She was content to sit in the sun in her chair, enjoy watching her beloved B.C. Lions on television and relish the massive cream puffs her children supplied. Her other great joy was her family. She was ridiculously proud of her four children--Alexina (Alex ), Mark (Marina ), Jari (Robert), and Karen (Rob ); seven grandchildren—Brea (Veljko), Brodie, Jamie, Alexa, Jasmine (Alex), Tanis and Jade; three great-grandchildren—Maks, Teo and Ava; and two “great grand-puppies,” Kintsha and Tashi.

Come Christmas--as always--we’ll reach for her recipes. And in the buttery perfection of her shortbread and the spicy fragrance of a steamed pudding, we’ll remember.

Mom passed away peacefully on June 18th with her loved ones by her side. She would have turned 99 in August. Heartfelt thanks to the staff at Louis Brier and to Lani, Jennifer and Carol for their loving care of Mom.

A private gathering is being held at Forest Lawn, to be attended by immediate family only. Flowers gratefully declined, however, a donation in Mom’s memory to a charity close to your heart would be deeply appreciated.