We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved brother, brother-in-law, and uncle. Charles was born and raised in Hong Kong. He believed in education in a broad scope from a wide perspective: he completed his last year of secondary school in Brisbane, Australia; his B.A. at Sophia American University, Tokyo, Japan; and his M.B.A. at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. His decades-long teaching career at BCIT gave him an opportunity to educate many bright and curious young people who made contributions to society.
He lived according to his own principles. He may or may not have asked for advice in making decisions, but once made he would “get on with it”. He had a no-nonsense approach to most areas of life, and for the most part lived a simple and very minimalistic lifestyle. One exception to this was his generosity and playfulness with his many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews who he loved immensely. His family loved him deeply in return. Charles enjoyed bringing family together over meals, and this was a regular part of his routine when at home in Vancouver or when visiting family in other regions.
Nieces and nephews remember him visiting before and after his trips around the world - one of his few indulgences - and bringing gifts, stories and instilling in them curiosity about the world and love for travel. With them he was silly and inquisitive, and found ways to encourage and show interest in everyone’s individual interests. He had a detailed mathematical formula for financially compensating his great-nephews for their university grades. In cases where his assessments of situations were brief for expediency, the huge amount of love beneath the surface was always obvious. Big family gatherings were always lots of fun when he was there.
Charles loved travelling and believed in expanding knowledge by going abroad. He visited close to one hundred countries. Among his many, many memorable trips, two of the experiences that touched him most deeply were visiting Flanders Field and standing at the very spot where John McCrae wrote “In Flanders Fields”, and going to Serengeti with nephew David to watch the mass seasonal migration of millions of animals.
Charles also combined his love of travel with opportunities to volunteer. On several occasions he volunteered overseas with Habitat for Humanity and World Vision.
While not an athlete himself, Charles loved watching sports, especially sporting events that brought the world together, such as the World Cup of soccer, tennis, and the Olympics. Many nieces and nephews learned the finer points of soccer and tennis watching by Charles’ side. During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Charles volunteered, and was excited to be seen on TV by millions, maybe billions, as he was the volunteer seen in the left lower corner of the TV screen during the Opening Ceremony when the snowboarder glided down the artificial ski hill to the field and officially welcomed the audience. He told us in an email later that the Olympic volunteer experience had surpassed his wildest dreams.
Charles’ family would like to thank the staff at Royal Columbian Hospital, and the MAID team for their compassion, expertise and efficiency.
Donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity, BCIT, or a charity of your choice.
A funeral will be held on Friday, June 21 at 1 pm at Ocean View Funeral Home.
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