Sok Kuan Lee

Born on (lunar) August 27, 1930, in Kuchong Village, Zhongshan County, Guangdong, China, Sok Kuan was the youngest child of Gong Hing and Sue Yee Chin. She had one older brother, Wah Yiu. After surviving the terrors of the Japanese occupation and World War II, Sok Kuan met Jack Kew Lee, the half-brother of her friend and classmate, Sin Jan Lee. They were married on April 11, 1947. He was 29 and she was 16.

Amid the war and famine of the Communist Revolution, and the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, Sok Kuan had seven children in 13 years: Hanna, Cecilia, Simon, Natalie, Olivia, Florence, and Shirley. In the 1950s, Jack moved to Macau and then before Shirley was born in 1960, he flew back to Lima, Peru, where he had spent his youth. Sok Kuan stayed in the village, working in the fields and raising her little ones on her own, with their grandmother’s help. One night in 1963, the Communist government gave her permission to leave the country—but she could only take one child with her. She had 24 hours to make a bitterly hard choice: to leave four young children behind with their grandmother. She escaped with three-year-old Shirley to join her two oldest daughters then living in Macau. A year later, Jack returned and an eighth daughter, Susanna, was born.

On July 28, 1967, Sok Kuan flew with Hanna, Cecilia, Shirley, and Susanna to Canada, where Jack worked at a relative’s nursery in Coquitlam, B.C. The family moved to Chinatown in 1968. Starting out with little more than the clothes on their backs, they found work on farms, in factories, and later, in their own grocery store. Sok Kuan worked as a produce packer at Pacific Produce. Her hours were long—more than 18 hours at times--and the work strenuous. She faced bullying there for many years. In 1972, her youngest daughter, Mae, was born.

When asked why she worked so hard and sacrificed so much, she said she did it for her children. She grieved for the ones left behind the Communist Bamboo Curtain, and never a day passed that she did not remind the children in Canada of their siblings in China. Everything she did was for them. Stoic, strong, courageous, a woman of few words, she never complained. When Jack teased her with a kiss at family celebrations, she would shoo him away for his foolishness while everyone laughed heartily.

As her children from China also immigrated to Vancouver from 1978 to 1984, Sok Kuan found joy in being surrounded by her large family. The family grocery store was lost to a fire in 1983, prompting Jack to retire and in 1995, Sok Kuan also retired and found some happiness in learning English with other women in the neighbourhood. As their children grew and started families of their own, Jack and Sok Kuan found time to travel, to China, to Europe, to Hawaii, to the East Coast. But she was never happy unless she had all her chicks around her. The extended family took a short local trip together each year, to Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville, Whistler, Harrison Hot Springs, Bowen. It really didn’t matter as long as everyone was together. Weekly dinners with her family of 30 brought her much joy.

After Jack passed away in 1997, and her children had married and moved out, Sok Kuan settled at home with her daughter Shirley, who stayed by her side, caring for and advocating for her throughout her later years. In 2018, Sok Kuan was forced by her health to move into long-term care at Fair Haven nursing home. There, she discovered a love for art and painted many lovely pieces. The staff found her delightful, offering everyone a sweet smile and a bright “Thank you!” at every encounter. Her children brought her home-made meals and Chinese soups. The pandemic was a difficult time, isolating her from family support. However, Shirley fought for access and since then stayed with her every evening.

In September, Sok Kuan’s health took a turn for the worse. After a hospital stay, she was released to Fair Haven, where she celebrated her 94th birthday, first with her immediate children and then at a large gathering with extended family. Even in her last days, she smiled upon them all, especially the littlest ones. She passed away peacefully on October 16, 2024, and is survived by a large and loving family:

Her children, Cecilia (Philip) Fong, Simon (Sharon) Lee, Natalie (Ben) Cheng, Olivia (Michael) Au, Florence (Henry) Ng, Shirley Lee, Susanna (Jeffrey) Chu, and Mae (Michael) Ward.

Her grandchildren: Vivian (Victor) Shiu, Virginia Wong, Vanessa (Jeremy) Lee, Monica (David) Lee, Miranda (Nathan) Wong, Irene (Kevin) Lin, Jason Lee, Bonnie Cheng, Andrew Ng, Jeffrey (Priscilla) Ng, Charis Chu, Amabel, Abigail, and Carissa Ward

And her great-grandchildren: Maddisyn, Lucas, and Mackenzie Shiu, Gabriel, Timothy, and Samuel Lee, Elijah Wong, Kien Lin, Erica Lee, Cara Ng.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Jack Kew Lee, and her eldest daughter, Hanna.

The family is grateful for the outpouring of support during this difficult time.

If you wish to make a donation in lieu of flowers, we suggest the following charities:

1. Alzheimer’s Society of B.C.: https://alzheimer.ca/bc/en/

2. Parkinson’s Society of B.C.: https://parkinson.bc.ca/

3. Fair Haven Homes Society, Vancouver Lodge: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13857

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