Shum Chee Lam

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Shum Chee Lam (née Chiu) at the age of 91 at Saint Vincent’s Langara Care Home on August 22, 2020. In her final days, she was comforted by the loving presence, in person, or online of all her children and grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by her husband of 66 years Yok Keung in August 2015. Shum Chee is survived by: six children: Stanley (Leanne), Barry (Lucy), Mayda (Ken), Benny (Liza), Maisie and Mimi (Tony); eleven grandchildren Natalie (Kurt), Lori (Shane), Adria (Mike), Bianca (Jonathan), Gilbert, Lauren, Kelsey, Bryan, Janine, Winston and Isaac and eight great-grandchildren: Aidan, Zachary, Carina, Justin, Vanessa, Ethan, Tessa and Nathan.

Shum Chee was born on March 13, 1929 in Hien Liu, a village in Xinhui, China and married at eighteen to Yok Keung. However, due to Canadian immigration restrictions, Shum Chee and eldest son Stanley were separated from him for ten years. They were finally able to join him in Flin Flon, Manitoba in 1960. After the family moved to Vancouver in 1972, she worked for many years at a salmon cannery. She worked incredibly hard to provide for her family, and her fierce determination, diligence and stamina were a great example and inspiration to her children. Despite the adversities she faced, Shum Chee had a passion for life and was never afraid to speak her mind. She loved mah-jong and all games of chance, contests and lotteries. Above all, she took great pride in tending to her bountiful vegetable garden and cooking special foods for her family such as black sesame pudding, rice wraps and fish cake and dough ball soup. She will be remembered and deeply missed.

Although her health was frail and her hearing and vision were extremely limited, Shum Chee remained feisty and independent-minded till the very end. The family would like to thank all the staff at Langara and her private caregiver Winnie for looking after their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother with unfailing kindness and compassion.

A celebration of Shum Chee Lam’s life will take place on Monday, September 14, 2020 at Glenhaven Memorial Chapel at 1:00pm followed by Interment at Ocean View Burial Park at 2:45pm.