She was the oldest child of Chang Shou Ling (father) and Tsai Chong Yun (mother), whose father was engaged in the pearl trade in Japan at the time. During the turbulent years of World War II, their family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where her sister Binnie (Bing Bing) was born, Tainan, Taiwan, where her brother Janson was born, and Xiamen, China, where her sister Leng (Leng Leng) and brother Leslie were born. After the war, they moved back to their family home in Tainan, where her father inherited a sugar production and fish farming business. Growing up, Lillian became an accomplished pianist and spoke Taiwanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and English.
In 1958, Lillian met and married Herbert Wong, who was studying engineering at Cheng Kung University in Tainan. They moved to Hong Kong where their son, Joe, was born in 1959 and their daughter, Shirley, was born in 1964. In 1965 they emigrated to Toronto, Canada. They lived in Scarborough and Lillian initially worked in the Timex watch factory, and later opened up the first Baskin - Robbins franchise in Canada in Delisle Court in Toronto.
After Lillian and Herbert divorced, she married George Lee King in 1978 and they moved to Montreal for George's work. When George retired in 1984, they moved to San Marino, California, where they took care of Lillian's nephew, Jonathan, while he was in school away from his home in Taiwan. After a brief move to Cupertino, Lillian and George moved to West Vancouver full time in 1996.
Lillian derived much pleasure and satisfaction from her involvement in her church, Vancouver Bible-Presbyterian in Port Coquitlam. She regularly played the piano at Sunday service and took special pride in participating in their annual cantata choral recital. She made many close friends over the years in Vancouver through church and found great comfort in God.
She also enjoyed travelling and visiting friends and family. She would regularly return to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Toronto, and in recent years went to Europe, China and Mexico.
She was much loved by and will be missed by friends and family alike for her thoughtfulness, generosity and quiet sense of purpose. She is survived by her second husband George; her first husband Herbert; her son Joe, his wife Janet and their sons Jason and Davis; and her daughter Shirley, her husband Mark and their daughters Jemma and Philippa.
Flowers will be graciously accepted at the church or if you prefer, please make a donation to: St. Paul's Hospital Foundation, Cardiac Unit in Memory of Lillian Chang
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