Paul Kwet-Khen Lising

Paul “Coco”Kwet Khen Lising was born on May 6, 1931 in Port Louis, Mauritius. As the first Lising grandson, he was sent at age 3 to be educated and live with his paternal grandparents in China. This early separation from his parents and siblings, and WWII Hong Kong & China characterized his outlook to life in many ways. His eventual return to Mauritius as a teen and unexpected death of his father left him responsible for his mother and 9 younger siblings. He accepted this mantle of responsibility remarkably well, supporting his siblings as they continued their studies while he stayed to run the family business.

He met & married his soulmate & greatest supporter, Simone (Mimi) in 1961. In 1970, together with daughters, Aurore and Hazel they ventured north to Canada, sealing their commitment with Canadian born Irene in 1971. In his new home, Paul willingly took up whatever work opportunity presented itself - butcher, driving instructor, office machinery mechanic, small business owner, postie, day trader.

His life was not unmarked by painful losses: his daughter Aurore and his dear Mimi left us far too soon, but perhaps that is what gave him the resolution and the spirit to continue pushing onwards.

Until recently, he enjoyed travelling to see his large extended family, spending time in the company of his three grandchildren. First, there was Isabella, later joined by Luca and then Noah. He intended to watch over them as they selected their individual paths - a career, their universities, their choice of studies. Life had other plans for him though. His health declined in recent years but his fighting spirit kept him heading towards his next objective - to reach or to top his mother’s 100 years of age, to travel, to explore, to discover, to revisit old places and see, once again, familiar faces.

Paul’s was a life full of family, endless curiosity and the desire to keep moving forward.

On December 29th, 2020 he passed away in Vancouver, BC, Canada, overlooking his beloved North Shore Mountains.