Gee Kam Pong

Gee Kam Pong was born on July 12, 1931 in ZhongShan Shekki, Guangdong, China to Harry Soy Pong (father) and Pong Lee Gim Wah (mother). He had an older brother Shelton. His father Harry went to work in Vancouver, Canada when Kam was a child. Kam grew up in ZhongShan and later in Hong Kong with his mother, brother, and sister in law. Later on his father was able to bring the family to Canada. Kam was 20 when he came to Canada. He spent a year at Vancouver Technical Secondary School. He found a job at Bank of Montreal and stayed there for his entire career until 1992, working his way up to management. His main office was in downtown Vancouver. He also did trips to Montreal for training.

He married Katrine Lam in 1975 and had two children, son Stephen in 1976 and daughter Tammy in 1978. He did several family trips when the children were young to Disneyland, Banff/Jasper and to visit his brother in Toronto. Shelton had a cottage by the lake and liked to host Kam and his family. They spent time fishing, relaxing by the water and enjoying the peaceful area.

Kam liked to stay healthy by doing Tai Chi. After retirement he would regularly go to Richmond centre mall and lead the morning tai chi group. He had many students and liked to chat with them afterwards over coffee. He had hobbies like stamp collecting and photography. He also liked gardening and spent a lot of time tending to the lawn and plants. He liked growing roses as well as vegetables, especially enjoying his tomato plants every year. He enjoyed watching tennis on TV and listening to classical music. He went to Peace Mennonite Church during his later years. He liked taking walks around the neighbourhood and speaking to other fellow long-time neighbours. He became a grandfather when Matthew (2016) and Samuel (2018) were born to Tammy and Benjamin and he enjoyed spending time with them. He enjoyed watching them climb his prized magnolia tree and learn to ride their bikes in the neighbourhood where he once taught his children to ride.

Kam was active and independent up until the final year of his life when he was diagnosed with dementia. His dementia was slowly getting worse and he spent the last year at St. Judes Anglican care home. He stayed active there, helping with gardening and leading Tai Chi during exercise times. His wife, children, and grandchildren visited him regularly. He enjoyed weekly dinners out with Stephen. He was able to visit the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver with Tammy and her family over Christmas, enjoying the plants and animals with his grandkids. He celebrated Family Day and Chinese New Year 2026 with a dim sum feast with his family. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 12, 2026 and entered into the Lord’s presence.