Wai-Sum Lam passed away on Feb. 2, 2018, surrounded by his four children. After a life of adversity, he lived his last moments on his own terms and died with dignity.

Wai-Sum was born in Guandong province on March, 29, 1941 to a well-to-do family. Unfortunately, his fortunes changed during the communist revolution when at the age of nine, he was forced to give up his education to support his family. In 1957, after years of hardship and persecution, he made his way to Hong Kong as a stowaway under the floorboards of a boat. In Hong Kong, he industriously worked his way from office boy to manager.

After marrying Oi Fong Lam in 1964, they moved to Canada in 1972 to provide a better life for their children. They moved to (chilly!) Winnipeg with three kids in tow: Chor-Yi Lam (Kenny Foo), Chor-Shan Lam (Don Watson) and Lung-Ming Lam (Lorraine Ohashi). Their last child, Kar-Wei Lam (Peter Pressacco), was born in Canada. He had seven treasured grandchildren: Jordan, Brennan, Adam, Kate, Madison, Grace and Gavin.

One of the things Wai-Sum was immensely proud of was his work ethic, and it is no exaggeration to say that he was one of the hardest workers you could ever meet. Since he had minimal education, he usually held two – and many times, three – jobs in order to be able to make enough money to support his family. His first job in Canada was as a manual laborer in a jean factory, but for the rest of his working life he was in the restaurant business. He managed coffee shops, diners, fine dining restaurants and even cabarets. All his life he was in the service of others – in the hospitality industry, helping new Chinese immigrants adjust to Canada, and his family.

Despite the limited opportunities Wai-Sum was afforded, he accomplished his single-most important goal, to provide an education for his children so they could have a better life than he had. It was a point of great pride that all of his children were university educated and had lives “full of potential”. His children are forever grateful for the sacrifices he made for them.

In his rare moments of free time, Wai-Sum enjoyed fishing, watching Teochew opera and cooking meals for his family.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to Dr. Debbie Selby and Danielle Takahashi and the rest of the palliative care team at Sunnybrook Hospital. Their patience, compassion, and professionalism made one of life’s most unpleasant experiences a little more bearable.

The family will be having a private ceremony in memory of Wai-Sum’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Sunnybrook’s Palliative Care Unit. To make a donation, please go to https://donate.sunnybrook.ca/palliative.