Kay Sin Wong

On October 7, 2020, our Mom, Kay Sin Wong peacefully passed at the amazing age of 97. She was the matriarch of our family and we were fortunate enough to call her Mom.

Mom was born on July 7, 1923 in Canton, China. At a young age, she and her mother moved to Hong Kong where she grew up while her father, Lee Wai Yee, worked in Tijuana, Mexico to provide for the family.

On February 24, 1953, in Hong Kong, our Mom married our father, Charles On Wong from Snowden, Saskatchewan. In 1954, mom immigrated to Canada and settled in Snowden. Mom and Dad worked long hours to run a gas station and general store. Kay and Charles had a daughter Mae (1955) and a son Ken (1958) both born in Nipawin, 35 miles from Snowden.

Soon after, Mom and Dad started thinking about providing a better future for their growing family. In 1965, the whole family packed up and moved to Vancouver to restart and establish a better life. In 1967, Mom gave birth to their youngest, Roy. Mom and Dad were devoted to each other for 35 loving years until Dad’s passing in 1988.

Mom was a strong, determined and resilient woman who was dedicated to her family. She guided her children and grandchildren through life with compassion, wisdom and generosity. She gave her children and grandchildren opportunities to live a better life. She did so unabashedly because she deeply loved her family.

Like many immigrants of Mom’s era, English was her second language, but her kindness and generosity transcended language barriers. She was always happy to see you and you were always welcomed to stay awhile, visit and chat. She always left you with a smile on your face.

Mom’s love for her family was always evident in her amazing cooking. She handmade dim-sum, baked sponge cake to the perfect “sponginess” and handpicked vegetables from her garden to make home-style Chinese dishes. Above all was Mom’s traditional Chinese soups. Mom religiously made soup to heal and keep us healthy. Her legacy of soup making carries on in her children and grandchildren. They are now responsible for carrying on this Kay Sin tradition.

Mom always enjoyed getting together with family and friends over dim-sum or playing a friendly game of mahjong. Her favourite past time was watching professional wrestling on TV – it made her smile and laugh while she sipped her daily afternoon coffee.

Mom is survived by:

 Her brother Chon Kow and his wife Mui Fun

 Daughter Mae and son in-law Marvin

 Eldest son Ken

 Youngest son Roy and daughter in-law Pauline

 Granddaughter Karla and husband Vinh

 Grandson Bryce and wife Wendy

 Great grandchildren Livianna, Jayden and Kaia.

In her final years, Mom was a resident at Holy Family Hospital Long Term Care. Our family would like to express our deepest gratitude to the doctors, nurses and care-aides who provided tremendous support, care and love for our Mom.

A memorial service celebrating our Mom’s life will be held on Friday October 16, 2020 at the Chapel of Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 3789 Royal Oak Ave. Burnaby, B.C.

The memorial service will also be available on live stream at: https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/18485. Please email roywong604@gmail.com for access.