Mr. Lai Lun Ma

Ma Lai Lun (馬禮倫) passed away on February 10th, at the age of 93. He will be missed and lovingly remembered by his wife Suk Woon Ma (林淑媛), son and daughter in law (Simpson Ma 馬堅平, Nora Ma 奚若文); grandchildren and their spouses (Jonathan Ma 馬焯榮 - Diana Lee 李穎賢, Anthony Ma 馬焯偉 - Caitlin Ma 黃芷欣, Stephen Tran 陳爵麟 - Sabrina Ma 馬曉如); and great grandchildren (Christian Ma 馬子晉, Sydney Ma 馬子晴, Robyn Ma 馬子英, Alexander Tran 陳俊言, Ashlynn Ma 馬藹琳, Sebastian Tran 陳灝言, Paxton Ma 馬俊安, Oliver Ma 馬子霖); and many colleagues, friends, and family.

Ma Lai Lun (馬禮倫) was born on February 6th, 1931 in a farming family in Chiu Chow, Canton province, China.

At 17, with only a grade 7 education, he went to Hong Kong to look for a better life. With no connections and minimal education, he ended up doing odd jobs and eating leftover scraps from restaurants to get by. He could hardly afford a place to live and was often sleeping at his workplace. It was a difficult time as he was often looked down upon due to his short stature and lack of education. Yet he never sought to take shortcuts or engage in illegal activities despite the dire circumstances. Through difficulty, he learned to work hard, handle pressure, and fight for survival.

At 21, his younger brother Ma Lai Shun (馬禮舜) joined him in Hong Kong and they both worked at a local fabric mill.

At 28, he married his wife Lam Suk Woon (林淑媛) and a year later was blessed with his only child, Ma Kin Ping (馬堅平).

At 30, he and his brother started a contracting business for sewing clothing and the rest was history as they rose up to success and fortune together over the next few decades.

At 68, he retired and moved to Canada permanently to be closer to family. Living atop Crystal mall, he enjoyed going for strolls and would frequent the food court for a cup of coffee while befriending all the various vendors. He would often take the bus to walk the factory floor of the family business and surprisingly, he was also a pretty good dancer.

One of his deepest prayers was for his family to be reconciled with each other. To put aside the past and to forgive each other just as we have been forgiven by our Heavenly Father.

In his final days, Ma Lai Lun (馬禮倫) accepted and gave thanks to God for the life that he was gifted. Looking back, he could not help but smile as he now closes the book on this chapter and enters the next in peaceful eternity.

Thank you for all the kind messages and prayers.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to St. John the Apostle Parish or St. Anthony of Padua Parish. Links are listed below.