Sun Fee Fong

Mrs. Sun Fee Fong had a few suitors in her youth but the dashing Sun Fee soon won her hand and heart. In 1948, the two got married.

In 1949, in fear of the onset of communism in China, the newlyweds left for the Fiji Islands to start a new life. During the time in Fiji, they started a family and also ran a grocery store and a restaurant. Life was hard.

With his eye on the growing family, Sun Fee saw little opportunity for his children's future in Fiji and sought to move his family to find the 'Golden Mountain'. A relative in Canada suggested they should immigrate to Canada. In order to finance the family's passage to Canada, Sun Fee left the young family behind in Fiji and went to work in Australia. He spent several years there alone, working at various jobs and finally saved enough money to relocate the entire family to Vancouver in 1966.

Thanks to the generosity of his sister-in-law Mary and her husband Charlie Fong, Sun Fee, his wife and their young brood moved in with them for the next year. Typical of immigrants of that era, Sun Fee immediately took on many menial jobs including dishwashing, part-time cook and kitchen work while other members of the family did various farm work. In 1967, they saved up enough money and bought their first home on Charles Street for a grand sum of $13,500.

Sun Fee and his wife came very close to buying a restaurant in Richmond in 1971. Luckily for the public at large, the health inspectors and the sanity of the family, he found permanent employment with BC Ferries. As with his earlier stint in Australia, his early years with BC Ferries also kept him away from his family for days at a time.

He was a hard working man and working with the only goal of providing for his family. He was also a serious and disciplined man, but could never resist the opportunity to have a laugh with friends and loved ones. His sacrifices allowed his children to grow up to become upstanding citizens. He was extremely proud of them.

As his children became adults, the family grew again. There are now daughters-in-law and soon grandchildren followed. He may have sacrificed for his children but the grandchildren are the apples of his eyes. He loved being around them and loved the attention and affection the grandchildren gave him.

After many years with BC Ferries, he retired in 1986. Ironically for a man who spent 20+ years working on the ferries, the first time he went on a cruise, he got seasick.

After retirement, his second career flourished. He had a very active role in the Chinatown community and totally enjoyed it. He devoted much of his time to the many fraternal associations in Chinatown and held many key positions. He was very well liked and respected by his many fraternal brothers and sisters. He was especially proud of the many charitable events he helped organized and his role in determining how the donations were to be used.

Sun Fee lived a very long and productive life. He was active up to and including the recent Canada Day celebration, waving the Canada flag proudly at a Chinatown event.

He entered St Paul's Hospital on July 13th, and passed away peacefully on July 28th.

We sadly mourn the loss of a lively, dignified soul but we also want to celebrate and commemorate a life well lived.