Cecilia Siu Wah Tam

On November 4, 2023, our beloved mother, sister, aunt and friend, Cecilia Siu Wah Tam, passed away at Toronto General Hospital after a brief final illness. In doing so, she made her last and greatest escape.

Born in Hong Kong on September 4, 1941, Cecilia was the fifth of six children in the blended family of Kau Koo and Ting Ho Wong. She attended the prestigious Belilios Public School before obtaining a degree from the Northcote College of Education and working as a teacher. Over the years, she would try her hand at a number of different vocations before launching a career in real estate. She loved the challenge, and her keen wit, incredible determination and work ethic made her a great success. She achieved many sales and service accolades, first as a residential agent, and then as a residential and commercial broker. She was very proud of her real estate career, and never forgot the many people she met and friends she made.

It was early on in her teaching career, while passing through the University of Hong Kong campus, that Cecilia caught the eye of Wing Hong Tam, a young doctoral student. He was immediately captivated by her beauty, style and vitality, and a meeting was soon arranged by mutual friends. Movie dates, picnics at the beach, and romantic strolls around Victoria Peak soon led to love – and they married in 1967. Soon after, Cecilia followed Wing as he began his postdoctoral fellowship in London, U.K. – a period they described as “the time of their lives” – and then on to London, Ontario in 1971, where Wing had accepted a position as a Professor at the University of Western Ontario. All told, Cecilia and Wing were together for 57 years – very rarely apart and separated only by Wing’s passing in 2020. They lovingly raised two children – Andrew, a lawyer, and Amy, a doctor – and Cecilia, in particular, was passionately devoted to their needs. She was a wonderful Mom.

Over time, health issues necessitated an early retirement and limited the types of activities in which Cecilia could participate. When no longer able to travel, she continued to enjoy listening to music, watching movies with friends and socializing over dinners and dim sum. Above all, she enjoyed her time with Wing – and later Andrew – each of whom displayed incredible and touching devotion to her care. Throughout, and as her health became progressively more challenged, Cecilia exhibited astonishing strength and resilience, never complaining or feeling self-pity. The architect of many miraculous escapes from medical predicaments, she was a fighter, through and through.

Cecilia is survived, loved and deeply missed by her children, her sisters – Siu Har Koo and Siu Foon Koo, her nephews, nieces and their children, and the rest of the Koo and Tam families.

Visitations will be held at the Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home, located at 6191 Yonge Street, Toronto, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 18, 2023, and from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 19, 2023. A service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 19, 2023, with a reception to follow immediately afterward.

Donations in Cecilia’s memory can be directed to the University Health Network Foundation, the London Health Sciences Foundation, the Parkinson Society of Southwestern Ontario, or to a worthy charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kanejerrettnorthyork.ca for the Tam family.