At age 13 she was offered the opportunity to come to Gold Mountain, and so she travelled 22 days on the General Gordon, transiting Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, and Hawaii to the port of San Francisco, then making her way via rail to Vancouver, BC. Once there she attended Strathcona school, and worked at the businesses of her Lee family at the Olympic Steam Bath and May Ling Cabaret, during the heyday of 1950’s Chinatown. She collected Cantonese albums and loved music, dance and singing with her friends, many of whom remained close to the end. She eventually met our father, Charles Chan (Chin), married, and lived for a short time in the Edinburgh Rooms owned by his father, next door to the Moonglow Cabaret where Jimi Hendrix used to play.
Education was important to her. From the age of six watching other children go to school, she begged her father to allow her to go also; he finally relented when she was ten. Once in Canada, our mother sought tutoring from the aged bachelors in Chinatown who shared their knowledge of Chinese script, and later improved her English skills by enrolling in night school at Van Tech, just as her own children were entering their teens. As an adult she maintained a keen curiosity and strong interest in travel, history and politics. She would tell the history of the Lee Clan as part of the Tang Dynasty driven out from Northern China ten centuries ago, discuss the latest political shenanigans, and travel as far and wide as she could go. She always said she wanted to travel as long as her body was able, and this was one of her favourite pastimes in her later years and retirement.
Jean’s greatest joy however, was her children and her grandchildren, and she was ours. At least six times a year the Chan Clan would gather to celebrate the holidays, loud raucous events full of laughter, Chinese food and traditional holiday fare. Inevitably she would dress for these events in her precious style of colourful patterns, evocative of the joy inside her heart. She was incredibly kind, and cared for all her children and grandchildren equally; despite the efforts of some to claim the throne of “favourite child”, she never treated any one better than the other (so there, Abby!) She cultivated traits of kindness, humour and fun in our family, traits that her friends also adored her for. In her later years, we all doted on her, as she so deserved, and as we could not help ourselves.
Predeceased by her baby daughter Sandra, she leaves behind her children Anita (Jim) Bardal, Albert (Shirley) Chan, Abby (Ruth) Chan, Yvonne Chan (Steve Ishii), Allison Chan (ex Joseph N. Beaulieu), and Annette (David) Lycon, and twelve beloved grandchildren who called her their Poa Poa and Ning Ning - Katie, Alycia, Ashley, Anna, Jenna, Aaron, Aidan, Dion, Ambrose, Nicole, Nathan and Samantha, as well as extended family.
The family wishes to thank all her caregivers from Home Health Burnaby, Danica and the pharmacists from Naz, Dr. Lai and St. Paul's Palliative staff, as well as Dr. Jue, Dr. Duncan and Dr. Kushner-Kow; we greatly appreciate the compassion and care she received from all of you.
A private burial will be held 1pm, Monday, March 15th 2021 at Forest Lawn; a Celebration of Life for extended friends and family will be planned after COVID; those who wish to attend should contact the family directly to ensure none are missed. Donations in her memory may be made to Alzheimer.ca/bc, or Yarrowsociety.ca.
We all love you so very much, and the world will not be the same without you.
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