It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Wai Fong Man on Saturday, November 4, 2023, aged 96 by the traditional Chinese reckoning, peacefully and in the presence of her loving family in Calgary, Alberta.
Wai Fong was born on December 6, 1927 in the city of Changzhou in Jiangsu province, China. She was subsequently raised in Shanghai by her aunt, then by an elderly couple who adopted her upon her aunt's passing. In 1950, she married Hom Yem, who remained her dearest companion to the end of his life, in a voluntary union that was a rarity in a time when marriages were commonly arranged. Together with their first two daughters, Wai Fong departed China in 1953 and sought refuge with her husband in Hong Kong, where she remained to raise her children and impart them with her spirit of kindness and humility, a task she bore industriously on her own over the many years Hom worked abroad in Germany. She emigrated to Canada in 1996 to join her family.
Wai Fong is survived by her daughters Eva (Po Kai), Tania (Ambrose), and Michelle (David); and her son Rodney (Joty). She is also fondly remembered by her grandchildren Georginia (Timon), Rex (Nicole), Nicholas (Tamara), Benjamin, Christopher and Kimberley; as well as her great-grandchildren Heidi, Iola, Oriana, Evelyn, Clara, and Cordelia. Wai Fong was predeceased by her daughter Ching Wah in 1965, her husband Hom in 2018, and her grandson Keith in 2023.
A funeral service in Wai Fong's memory, followed by her cremation, will be held at Foster's Garden Chapel, 3220 4th Street NW, Calgary, Alberta on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial contributions in Wai Fong's name to the Covenant Foundation, with proceeds directed to her final residence of Holy Cross Manor.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.fostersgardenchapel.net for the Man family.