Hello, my name is Justin Cheng, eldest grandson of Fernando. While the sudden passing of my grandfather gives me and my family great pain, writing this eulogy gave me a chance to learn details about his life that grandchildren typically don't ask.

Hola, mi nombre es Justin Cheng, el nieto mayor de Fernando. El fallecimiento de mi abuelito ha sido un evento inesperado para toda mi familia pero este evento me ha dado la oportunidad de aprender detalles de su vida que nunca supe antes.

Fernando Léon was born to José and Manuela Léon in 1931 in Lima, Peru. He had 3 brothers and 4 sisters. His parents were farmers and taught him values of cooperation, persistence and pragmatism that would come to define him later in life. Fernando grew up on the family farm and enjoyed soccer, basketball and running in his spare time. In fact, he was so fast, my cousin Jacqueline told her second grade teacher that he was an Olympian after seeing a photo of him crossing the finish line of a race, much to the confusion of her parents.

Fernando Len nació en mil novecientos treinta y uno en Lima, Per. Sus padres eran José y Manuela Len. Tenía tres hermanos y cuatro hermanas. Sus padres eran agricultores y criaderos de cerdos. La vida de granjeros le enseñaron valores que vendrían a definir su cáracter mas adelante en su vida. Fernando creci en la granja de la familia donde aprendi lo importancia de la cooperacin, la persistencia y el uso del sentido commn. Tambien creci disfrutando los deportes. Era jugador de ftbol, baloncesto y carreras de larga distancia. De hecho, mi prima Jacqueline le dijo a su maestra de segundo grado que su abuelito era un atleta olímpico después de ver una foto de él cruzando la línea de meta de una carrera. Esto cre gran confusin para sus padres, Lucero y Gary.

When he was a teenager, he left Peru and traveled to China to study. His time there was cut short due to the communist revolution in China. After returning to Peru, Fernando started hanging out at the Tay Yok Club, a Chinese association community centre, where he met Raymundo and Estevan Léon. Little did he know that it was through them that he would meet his future wife, Anita. After a brief courtship, Fernando and Anita married in 1957. Not long after marriage, the couple gave birth to their first child, Doreen, my mother. Gustavo, Lucero, and Sylvia soon followed. Fernando and Anita supported their young family by running a grocery store in the Chama district of Lima.

Cuando era joven, salió del Perú y viajó a China para estudiar. Su tiempo se vio interrumpida debido a la revolución comunista en China. Después de regresar al Perú, Fernando empezó a socializar en el "Tay Yok Club", un centro comunitario de la asociación china, donde conoció a Raymundo y Estevan Léon. Poco sabía que era a través de ellos que iba a conocer a su futura esposa, Anita. Después de un breve compromiso, Fernando y Anita se casaron en mil novecientos cincuenta y siete. No mucho tiempo después de la boda, la pareja comenzo a expandir la familia  primero vino su primera hija, Doreen, mi mamá. Pronto siguieron Gustavo, Lucero, y la yapita Sylvia. Fernando y Anita manejaban una bodega con mucho exito en el barrio de Chama en Lima.

In the early 1970s, the political situation in Peru was becoming increasingly unstable, so Fernando made the brave decision to move the family to Canada. They arrived in Vancouver in 1972, and after settling down, took on a familiar occupation running the Boundary Food Market, not far from their home. At

some point or another, the entire family worked at the store. I even sold a few lotto tickets when I was a kid, but don't tell BC Lotto.

A principios de la década de mil novecientos setenta, la situación política en el Perú era cada vez más inestable, por lo que Fernando hizo la valiente decisión de mudar a la familia a Canadá. Llegaron en Vancouver en mil novecientos setenta y dos, y después de establecerse, tomaron una ocupación familiar en el mercado de Boundary, no muy lejos de sus casa. Toda la familia llego a trabajar en esta tienda. Incluso vendí unos boletos de lotería, cuando era un niño pequeno, pero no se lo digan BC Lotto.

After running the store for 16 years, Fernando and Anita decided to sell the store and retire. However, as was his nature, he quickly found a number of activities to occupy his time. He was involved with charity works at St Mary's Parish, joined the Knights of Columbus, practiced and eventually taught tai chi, and even tried his hand at karaoke, although I hear he did more listening than singing.

Después de trabajar en la tienda durante dieciséis años, Fernando y Anita decidieron vender la tienda y retirarse. Sin embargo, como era su naturaleza, Fernando rápidamente encontró una serie de actividades para ocupar su tiempo. Estuvo involucrado en la Iglesia de Santa Maria, se unió a los Caballeros de Colón, practicaba y enseñaba tai chi, e incluso hizo intentos a cantar en karaoke, aunque he oído que escuchaba más que cantaba.

He also got the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean, Hawaii, Europe, South East Asia and China. While on vacation, it seems that his sense of humor was more apparent. On a family trip to Hawaii, they went to a show with Polynesian dancers. After the show, my Aunt Lucero saw Acun laughing with one of the dancers, a well-built young man. When he came back to the group, she asked him what they were laughing about and he said that he told the dancer, I used to have a body like yours.

También tuvo la oportunidad de viajar al Caribe, Hawai, Europa, el sudeste de Asia y China. Mientras estaba de vacaciones, su sentido del humor era más evidente. En un viaje de familia a Hawai, fueron a un espectáculo con bailarines polinesios. Después del espectáculo, mi tía Lucero vio Acun riendo con uno de las bailarines, un joven muy muscular. Cuando regresó al grupo, ella le preguntó de qué se estaban riendo y él contestó que le dijo al bailarin, "Yo solía tener un cuerpo como tu".

As time passed by, the family grew and so did his love for each new member of the family, which included ten grandchildren. He was very involved in his grandchildren's lives, attending concerts, sporting events, and graduations. He was always willing to take the time to teach us about life, family history, gardening, and languages. My mediocre Spanish would be even worse without him.

Con el tiempo, la familia creció y también su amor por cada nuevo miembro de la familia, que incluye diez nietos. Él estaba muy involucrado en la vida de sus nietos, asistiendo a conciertos, eventos deportivos, y graduaciones. Siempre estaba dispuesto a tomar el tiempo para enseñarnos sobre la vida, la historia familiar, la jardinería y lenguajes. Mi castallano sería aún peor sin él.

Fernando was an adventurer who loved to explore the world and experience new cultures. He was a life-long learner and loved to read and share his wisdom and knowledge. He impacted many people with his

infectious smile and good humour as he always saw the positive side of all situations. His dedication to charitable works and willingness to help others will always be remembered.

Fernando era un aventurero que le encantaba explorar el mundo y conocer nuevas culturas. Él era un curioso estudiante de la vida y le encantaba leer y compartir su sabiduría y conocimiento. Él impactó a muchas personas con su contagiosa sonrisa y buen humor, siempre víendo el lado positivo de todas las situaciones. Mi abuelito será recordado por su dedicación a las obras de caridad y buena voluntad en ayudar a los demás.

Hello, my name is Jacqueline Kwan, granddaughter of Fernando. While the sudden passing of my grandfather gives me and my family great pain, writing this eulogy gave me a chance to learn details about his life that grandchildren typically don't ask.

Fernando Léon was born to José and Manuela Léon in 1931 in Lima, Peru. He had 3 brothers and 4 sisters. His parents were farmers and taught him values of cooperation, persistence and pragmatism that would come to define him later in life. Fernando grew up on the family farm and enjoyed soccer, basketball and running in his spare time. In fact, he was so fast, I told my second grade teacher that he was an Olympian after seeing a photo of him crossing the finish line of a race, much to the confusion of my parents.

When he was a teenager, he left Peru and traveled to China to study. His time there was cut short due to the communist revolution in China. After returning to Peru, Fernando started hanging out at the Tay Yok Club, a Chinese association community centre, where he met Raymundo and Estevan Léon. Little did he know that it was through them that he would meet his future wife, Anita. After a brief courtship, Fernando and Anita married in 1956. Not long after marriage, the couple gave birth to their first child, Doreen. Gustavo, Lucero, and Sylvia soon followed. Fernando and Anita supported their young family by running a grocery store in the Chama district of Lima.

In the early 1970s, the political situation in Peru was becoming increasingly unstable, so Fernando made the brave decision to move the family to Canada. They arrived in Vancouver in 1972, and after settling down, took on a familiar occupation running the Boundary Food Market, not far from their home. At some point or another, the entire family worked at the store.

After running the store for 16 years, Fernando and Anita decided to sell the store and retire. However, as was his nature, he quickly found a number of activities to occupy his time. He was involved with the Church, joined the Knights of Columbus, practiced and eventually taught tai chi, and even tried his hand at karaoke, although I'm told he did more listening than singing.

He also got the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean, Hawaii, and China. While on vacation, it seems that his sense of humor was more apparent. On a family trip to Hawaii, they went to a show with Polynesian dancers. After the show, my mother Lucero saw Acun laughing with one of the dancers, a well-built young man. When he came back to the group, she asked him what they were laughing about and he said that he told the dancer, I used to have a body like that.

As time passed by, the family grew and so did his love for each new member of the family, which included ten grandchildren. He was very involved in his grandchildren's lives, attending concerts, sporting events, and graduations. He was always willing to take the time to teach us about life, family history, gardening, and languages. Our grandfather could speak four languages.

Fernando was an adventurer who loved to explore the world and experience new cultures. He was a life-long learner and loved to read and share his wisdom and knowledge. He impacted many people with his infectious smile and good humour as he always saw the positive side of all situations. His dedication to charitable works and willingness to help others will always be remembered.

Querida sobrina Doreen: Nuestro más sentido pésame. Qué penatan grande.

Tu tío Alfonso y familia.

Doreen my sincere condolences on the passing of your father and thank you for the attached announcement.

Keep strong. Annie

We are so sorry to hear about your Dad.

He was such a good, caring man, always had wise advice for us all.

We will miss him, especially ourSaturday exercise class.

You all are in our thoughts and prayers.

God bless,

Fane & Bill

Take Care Doreen and God Bless you all. Special prayers for your family.

Love Mary

Querida

De nuestro corazon, lo sentimosmucho. Fernando para nosotros es unMaestro lleno de sabiduria y compasion por todos. Nunca lo olvidaremos, siempre lo tendremos en nuestra memoria y nuestras oraciones.

Paul y JungSoon

Hi Doreen,

Yes, very sad. I always enjoyed listening to your stories about your family. Your dad was a very special man who has a very loving family.

Our prayers and thoughts are with you at this time.

Take care and call anytime you need a friend to talk to.

Lena

Querida Doreen y familia,

Nuestro mas sentido pesame para ti y tu familia. Cuando Marita me paso la voz que tu papi habia fallecido, fue un tremendo shock. No trate de enviarte ningun email, porque se que estaran muy ocupados con los detalles del funeral. 

Todos estos dias lo tenemos presente en nuestras oraciones.

Si requieres alguna ayuda, por favor avisame. OK?

Abrazos,

Mina y mama

En este tiempo doloroso estamos contigo y tu familia.

Te mando un fuerte abrazo y mi mas sentido pesame. 

Ana, Eduardo y Melisa

I'm so sorry for your loss, please send my condolences to all your family from my family!!

Take care,

Tia Margot, Tio Carlos, Jaime, Frankie, Mariella, Mario, Kids & Gerry

My name is Carlito. I'm a member of the St. Mary's Parish council of the Knights of Columbus.

I met your dad through the Knights of Columbus. During a summer picnic a few years ago, he invited me to join him and a number of other people on Saturday mornings for tai chi and exercises.

Since then, I've been present in almost all Saturdays, which I believe made a tremendous positive impact on my health.

Fernando taught me a lot of things. He was very patient. His dedication was very inspiring.

The benefits were immediate. My doctor took me off my hypertension medication, which was remarkable. I shed off excess pounds. I've never gotten sick of anything since I started going to the Saturday exercises. I have also delivered much better results in my professional work on account of Fernando's guidance on how to concentrate and focus.



I was at the St. Mary's school gym last Saturday. Like always, our small group had fun. I never knew that it was going to be the last time I'm going to see your father.



I will be eternally grateful to Fernando. He gave me a gift of health, which I will cherish dearly.

On behalf of my family, please receive our condolences. Our prayers are with you and your family.

Best regards,

Carlito Pablo

Doreen, my deepest sympathies. My prayers are with you and your family.

Rose

Dear Family Forever in Vancouver, our thoughts and prayers are with you all!

Sabemos que estos momentos son muy duros para todos, pero no olviden que pueden contar con nosotros siempre. 

Que su partida sirva para estar más unidos que nunca. Todos lo extrañaremos y lo mantendremos en nuestros corazones como alguien especial, tan paciente y tolerante y siempre poniendo la chispa y el toque de buen humor a las
reuniones.

Ahora está descansando en paz, sin sufrir y cuidando de nosotros desde el cielo como lo hace Apo, mi papi, tío Ray, tío Esteban y muchos más.

Un abrazo a cada uno de uds y uno muy especial para Tía Anita y cuidénla mucho.

Nany

Dennis, Meylin, Shane

Eugenio, Palmira, Giancarlo, Giovanni, Pierina

Achi, Gemma, Jay, Jenny

Patty, David, Richard, Nick

Kiko, Valerie, Giselle, Salomon, Michelle

Rocio, George

Dodo, Juanjo, Gonzalo, Maria Jose

Doreen. I'm very sorry to hear.  I send you my prayers

Betty

Hi Doreen,

I always thought your Dad was fantastic - always had a smile on his face, always with a greeting and genuine interest, 
really cool guy. I liked him a lot, and when I heard the news it was totally unexpected and I was very sad on his passing. 

While I know his passing was very sudden and you likely feel regretful about last goodbyes, take solace that he had very
little suffering and managed to live life fully right to the end. Hopefully we all manage to pull that off!

How is your Mom coping? She is the one whom will be having the hardest time dealing with this. During the next few
weeks, with the entire family supporting her, I think she will be fine, its when it all settles down that it will become harder. 

Please send her our love and condolences.

I also hope you are coping as best as can be expected - while its all part of life, its still very emotional to lose a parent,
and it can be quite stressful, so please take care of yourself too.

Lots of love,

Mike & Grace

Con mucha tristeza nos hemos enterado del fallecimiento de tu querido papa. En estos momentos de dolor por la 

pérdida de tu querido papa queremos darte a ti, a tu mama y a toda tu familia nuestro más sincero pésame. Que el Señor lo tenga en su reino y les de mucha fuerza para aceptar su partda.

Rodolfo y Pola

Querida Doreen:

Muy apenada por el fallecimiento de tu papi, por favor extiende mis mas sentidas condolencias a tu mama, tus hnas y a toda la familia.

Fernando ha sido un muy buen amigo para todos nosotros, noble y siempre positivo, todos vamos a extra~narlo mucho. 
Cada vez que me veia, siempre me preguntaba por mi hermanos Alfonso y Emilia, con quienes el habia estudiado en el colegio Chino en el Peru.

Dios guarde su alma.

Maria

Hi Doreen.

Wanted to extend our sympathies to all of you on the parting of your Dad. It was shocking news and we will be praying for his soul

Johnny, Violeta, Charlene and Jonathan

Hi Lucero,

Ricky sent me a text with the sad news of the passing of tio . I am so very sorry to hear of his passing, it truly was an unexpected tragedy. How are you holding up? How about your sisters? The rest of the family? Words cannot express how sorry I am and how I mourn for your loss. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you and the rest of the family during this hard time.

God bless you all.

Paul

Querida Doreen,

Si para nosotros ha sido realmente un "shock" la noticia , imaginamos como estan uds.Anocherecorde a tu papi en mis oraciones.

Si necesitan ayuda no dudes en avisarnos.

Nancy me pidio que revisara la lista de amigos para participarles el sensible fallecimientode tu papa, puedo ayudarte a pasarla voz a:

Augusto Wu ( si es que esta en Vancouver) a los Su (Andres y Roberto) y tu diras si hay alguien mas.

El resto de amigos los conoce Nancy.

Ya estaremos viendolos, no queremosllamar por telefono, sabemos que estan muy ocupados. 

Un fuerte abrazo a ti  tu mami y toda lafamilia. 

Pepe & Marita

I am very sad to hear about your Dad.  We can never be prepared for this kind of news.  Please count on us for anything 

you might need.  Trust that the love in your family will give you the strength to get through together.

Your Dad was extra special to me.  He had the wisdom of Budha and the love of God in his heart in every second he spent with us.

A big hug with our love and support to each one of you.

Gladys

Tia Anita, Achan, Chita, Nana & Jon Kuan,

Con mucha tristeza recibimos la noticia de la partida de Tio Fukion.

Lo que aprendimos y siempre recordaremosfuesu paciencia y buen humor que siempre lo caracterizo.

Un fuerte abrazo y nuestras oraciones estan con ustedesde parte de la familia de Toronto.


Tia Elena, Titi & Neto

Ajin, Ani, Erick, Alyssa & Ariana

Gladys & Glenn

Cynthia, Leo, Patrick, Brendan & Andrea

Hola Doreen

Hemos estado fuera de casa todo el dia, acabamos de llegar pero ya antes Doris nos llamó de lo que pasó a Tio Fernando.

Lo sentimos mucho, por favor hazlo extensivo a tu hermano y a tus hermanas y a toda la familia.

Con mucha pena un fuerte abrazo para todos.

Jesús y Elia

Dear Doreen, It was with extreme sadness that I received the news about your dad this morning from Bro. Mannie. Your darling Dad was a great supporter of Knights of Columbus of St. Mary's Council. He was a model of charity and I enjoyed 

talking to him. He was always so happy and had the ability to make me smile. I am certain all my brother Knights will miss 
him. Please accept my heart felt condolence and convey the same to your mum, your daughter and the rest of your 

family.  Do not hesitate to call me if you feel I could be of assistance and keep us informed of the funeral arrangements. 

You can count on his brother Knights, they will be at his service.

May God give you strength and consolation,

Acabamos de enterarnos de la triste noticia, por favor dale a tu mami y a todos tus hermanos nuestras más sentidas 

condolencias, estamos orando mucho por el,

Kinkina & family

Just wanted to let you and all the family know that I am tremendously sad that your Dad has left us for a better place. I consider him an uncle, a big brother and a great friend. My link to our life in Peru and my parents life in China.He was even present at my parent's wedding in Shekki. As everybody who knew him , I will miss his great sense of humour, his calm demeanour and his advice.Please give my condolences to everybody especially Tia Anita. Let's not be too sad, your Dad lived a long life, had a great time in your last Xmas family get-together and left this world without the suffering of a long illness...let's celebrate his life!

Tio YiChon was a great person. He brought Happiness, Pride, and Laughter to our families. He was a motivator. If he was given a wheelchair, he wouldn't sit in it, he would walk with it. If there was hill, he wouldn't wait at the bottom for you, he would join you and climb up to the top. He never let his age prevent him from doing anything, instead it would only motivate himself and everyone else to do more.  Every time I saw him, he always had a happy face, he never complained or was ever mad. Me and him would always joked around and had many laughs together. He was also a great teacher, thank you for teaching me how to meditate, and speak words in Chinese. Rest in Peace YiChon, bring laughter and happiness to my grandfather and both of you will watch over our families and make sure that we all stay united, strong and positive. Family Forever. Joi Kin my friend.

To our wonderful instructor: your warm smile and your kind words will be forever in our hearts. So glad we have met you, we are better people today because of you. May you rest in the arms of our Father in heaven. 

Elsie and Magdy Beshara, Burnaby

Dear Doreen and Family, 
I was very sorry to hear about your father's passing.  Please accept my condolences.  Special thoughts and heartfelt prayers are with you and your family during this time of sorrow.

We shall greatly miss you Mr Leon & our next Vancouver trip will never be as welcoming or special as only you can make us feel. You enriched all our lives with your presence & will leave a void in our hearts forever. In loving memory from your Australian friends, Marina, Robert & Hannah.

We love you Cuncun. You're always in our hearts.

Thank you. Thank you Cuncun for always being there for me and all of us. You are the strongest person I know and the one I aspire to be like. You've given us hope for a better tomorrow and I pray that we will always remember your high spirits and beautiful smile. The memories I have of you are all of you teaching and sharing your wisdom with us. You made us laugh constantly. I can't thank you enough for spending time with us and watching all our games. Our achievements are possible because you believed in us. We are so blessed to have you in our life. I know you are looking down on us, smiling, and praying that we just breathe. Praying for us to do what you did all these years and take care of the family. We'll always remember you and keep you in our hearts. Forever and always Cuncun, we love you so much.

OBITUARIO

Fernando Chang Leon

12 diciembre, 1931 – 1 febrero, 2015

Glenhaven Memorial Chapel

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