Ying Kan

On Friday, September 2, 2022, centenarian Mrs. Ying (Sakura) Kan (甘 英 or 甘 詹 櫻) passed peacefully in Vancouver. She is survived by her daughter, Mei-Ching Chan (Paul), her granddaughters Carole Chan and Connie Chan (Herb), five great-grandchildren, Alexander and Adele Chan, and Madeline, Emile, and Frederique Lambert, and a community that spans both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Mrs. Kan was pre-deceased by her parents, Ku-Pao Jan and A-Hsiang Huang, her brother Chang-Chi Jan and sister Fumi Lin, her husband, Fang-Liang Kan, and her grandson-in-law, Nicolas Lambert.

Born on March 15, 1922 in the township of Luodong in Taiwan, which was a Japanese colony at the time, Ying (Sakura in Japanese) was named for the cherry blossoms that were in full bloom. She lived with her parents on a mountainside trading post and played with a dog named Pochi.

From a young age, Ying’s book smarts and discipline shone through: at 6 years-old, she was admitted to the Japanese boarding school in Luodong, hitching rides back and forth from her home in the basket of a merchant. She continued to excel, earning a place at the prestigious Taipei Third High School for Girls where she made many life-long friends. After graduation, she became a primary school teacher, known thereafter to many as “Sakura Sensei” (Teacher Sakura), always blending rigour and kindness with her students.

In the depths of World War II, Ying was married to Fang-Liang Kan (November 11, 1943), gave birth to their only child, Mei-Ching, and became a widow on the third anniversary of being wed. With the support of caring elders, family and friends, notably from her mother and her father-in-law (a 2-term county magistrate of Yilan), she raised her daughter while continuing her career as a primary school educator in Taiwan, eventually extending to adult language education and translation as well. Despite these significant responsibilities of being a single mom, Ying enjoyed many hobbies, developing skills and cultivating friendships in the areas of flower arranging, cooking, knitting, scholarship and travelling.

In 1975, Ying immigrated to Canada, moving to Vancouver, B.C. and becoming an integral part of Mei-Ching and Paul’s household. An ever-present Ama (grandmother) to Connie and Carole, she shared her crafting skills with them from origami folding in pre-school to sewing and knitting prêt-a-porter Cabbage Patch Kid wear. In the community, Ying further pursued her interests through participation in ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) clubs, studies at the Golden Age Academy of Vancouver’s Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, tai-chi in Queen Elizabeth Park, and origami with the Tonari Gumi (Japanese Community Volunteers Association).

In more recent years, hosted gatherings for exercise, lunch and chatting with a group of Japanese senior friends and took on the role of Atso (great-grandmother) with zeal, always making sure oranges and petty cash were available to share and reward the great-grand kids! Ying maintained a high level of autonomy even during the Covid pandemic thanks to dedicated caregivers Susan Wu, Ellen Wu, and Miao-Ping Hsieh. On the advent of her 100th birthday, Ying was joyfully surrounded by friends and family at the Arbutus Club and received greetings from the Queen, the Prime Minister, the Governor General, and her MLA, Michael Lee.

Ying, enjoy your well-deserved rest – we are blessed that you have touched so many of our lives!

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 18th, 2022 at the Chapel of the Ocean View Funeral Home (4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby, B.C., V5J 1A4). Words of comfort may be sent to the Ocean View Funeral Home or may be offered on Ying’s memorial page (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/10913347).

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Ying Kan’s Memory to the Golden Age Academy of Vancouver (please make cheques to Vancouver Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, including Golden Age Academy in the “note”, at 2733 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., V6N 3C5 or via e-transfer at BMO [email protected], account name “VTPC and indicate “GAA” in the in-box) or Tonari Gumi (please make cheques to Japanese Community Volunteers Association, 42 West 8th Avenue #101, Vancouver, B.C., V5Y 1M7 or donate on-line via https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/w/8661/donation, directing funds to the ‘Programs and Services for Seniors’).