Mavis Shui Fong Tam

Ms. Mavis Tam (黃譚端芳) passed away peacefully on September 13, 2022, at the age of 64, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mavis is survived by her husband, Peter; two children, Adelina (Trevor), and Jonathan (Marguerite); two grandchildren, Gemma, and Nora; younger brother, Albert (Ida) and family, younger sister, Myra (Kevin) and family, and younger brother, Alan (Dawn) and family.

Mavis was born on September 27, 1957 in Hong Kong. She lived in North Point in the Eastern District of Hong Kong island with her parents and four other siblings. After completing her primary school education, Mavis attended Ying Ya Girls’ School (英華女學校), where she met her lifelong friends Tammy and Loretta. The trio were inseparable and got themselves into all kinds of fun and creative endeavours. It was during this time that Mavis’ passion for music began. She joined the choir and began taking violin lessons with Tammy where she fell in love with a particular piece, the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (梁祝小提琴協奏曲).

In 1974, along with her parents and siblings, she immigrated to Canada. After completing her high school education, Mavis went on to study at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1976. While participating in activities organized by the Chinese Students’ Association, Mavis met Peter. Their romance developed quickly as they found many common interests and values. They were married in 1981.

As she was preparing for life post-university, Mavis started experiencing pain in her joints, culminating in a brief stay in the hospital. She was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease. Never to allow anything to set her back, Mavis enrolled at Simon Fraser University to study computing science. Upon completion, she worked as a department manager for a marketing research company.

In 1987, Mavis and Peter welcomed their daughter, Adelina, into the world. In search of better opportunities, Peter, with Mavis and Adelina in tow, moved first to LA and then to Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1991, they returned to Canada and shortly after, Jonathan was born.

Mavis was a nurturing and caring mother doing everything for the well-being and education of her two children. She stayed up late to help with homework, provided encouragement when it was needed, and supported the ambitions of her children. She drove her children to numerous extracurricular activities, from music lessons to dance and martial arts. During this time, she was also a valued member of numerous organizations volunteering her time to plan events and coordinate activities.

Soon both Adelina and Jonathan graduated from high school and left home, leaving Mavis and Peter empty nesters and looking forward to their next stage in life. However, life threw them a curveball when they discovered that Peter had experienced a silent heart attack. Mavis put her energy into caring for Peter as he recovered. As Peter’s health improved, the two started traveling more. During this time, Mavis visited India, China, various Caribbean islands and explored the US extensively.

Mavis happily celebrated Adelina’s wedding in 2018 and the arrival of her granddaughter Gemma in 2019. She and Peter began caring for Gemma in 2020 amid the COVID pandemic. Gemma was a great source of entertainment and joy for Grandma Mavis, a role she took on with great enthusiasm. In April 2022, Mavis and Peter attended Jonathan’s wedding in Branford, Connecticut. Later that month, Adelina gave birth to a second child, and Mavis welcomed her second grandchild, Nora, into this world.

On July 16, Mavis went to the emergency room at the Vancouver General Hospital. Mavis’ liver was failing and she needed a liver transplant. The transplant was performed, but because of her compromised immune system, she was infected with various bacteria and viruses. After a long battle, her immune system was too weak, and she passed away on September 13, 2022.

Throughout her life, Mavis was very kind, gentle, and supportive of her husband, daughter, and son. With unconditional love, she was the pillar of the family. From simple things like keeping track of where things are to providing encouragement when things got tough, she was always there to support. More recently, she extended the same welcoming demeanour to her son-in-law, daughter-in-law and granddaughters. Mavis’ joyous smiles and unending enthusiasm will be forever in our memory.