On May 5th, 2023, Raymond Lew (劉偉文), loving husband, father, brother, and colleague, passed away at the age of 60 in Songjiang, China while on a business trip for his company, Lubrizol.
Raymond was born on November 23, 1962, the youngest son to Cheryl (伍翠桂) and Jung-Nee Lew (劉長汝) in Toronto, Ontario. Raymond is survived by his wife, Linda (鄭友璉), of almost 30 years; his 2 daughters Rachel (瑞巧) and Jillian (傑玲); as well as his siblings Mamie (Peter), Ed (Fran), and Ivan (Tanya) and many nieces and nephews.

Raymond lived a life full of energy, adventure, and curiosity. Growing up, he enjoyed swimming, hockey, and football, pursued his interest in science with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, and even obtained his pilot’s license. Throughout his life, he developed a strong love for world history, and spent hours studying a diverse set of cultures, religions, and languages. Unsurprisingly, he enjoyed exploring different countries and was exceptionally well-read.

Raymond enjoyed solving complex problems and was one of the few modern chemical engineers who excelled at plant design and start-up. His work at Lubrizol would take him around the world, visiting countries such as Brazil, China, India, and Belgium. He regularly regaled us with stories and photos from these trips, which included updating us on his personal goal of visiting as many UNESCO World Heritage sites as possible.

Above all else, Raymond was kind and generous. He was widely admired for his intellect, sense of humour and compassion. He will be greatly missed by everyone whose lives he touched, but his joy, energy, adventurous spirit, and fervor for life will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

A service to celebrate Raymond’s life will be held at York Funeral Centre, 160 Beecroft Road, Toronto, ON on June 24, 2023 at 10 a.m. with reception to follow in the Victoria Suite, 12 noon to 2 p.m. Visitation with the family is scheduled on Friday, June 23, 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 24 from 9 to 10 a.m.
For those who wish to join online, a livestream will be available at 10:00 AM EST on Saturday, June 24, 2023, on MountPleasantGroup.com. A recording of the service will also be available for viewing for two weeks after on the same website.