Dan Moon Chong, 張進文, of Toronto, Ontario, passed peacefully at the age of 91 on May 26, 2026. He was the beloved husband of the late Chow Yak Chong, who predeceased him on April 9, 2008. He is now reunited with his wife in God’s presence.

He was born in Guangdong Province, China, on October 23, 1934, in a village in Nam Hing Lee, Hoiping City. The Chong family owned a grocery store in the village and later sold it to become landowners, renting land to other rice farmers.

Dan’s father, Goon Chong, was the first in the family to come to Canada, arriving in British Columbia in 1918 at the age of 12 aboard the British Steamer Monteagle out of Hong Kong. He lived and worked alone in Toronto, sending money home to support his family while building a life in Canada. As was the custom at the time, he travelled back and forth between China and Canada over the years, eventually marrying Suey Yee Chen and having children. By 1945, Goon owned the Atta Chong Laundry on Greenwood Avenue in Toronto.

The 1949 revolution was difficult for the family in China, as their status as landowners put them at risk. In 1950, at age 16, Dan married his beloved wife, Chow. One year later, at age 17, he left for Toronto alone, leaving his young wife and his mother behind in Hong Kong. For years, he worked with his father at the laundry, sending monthly remittances to his wife and mother and saving until he could arrange for them to join him in Toronto. Once reunited in Toronto in 1957, Dan and Chow started their life together, and in 1960, their first of three children was born.

A devoted and hardworking entrepreneur, Dan built a remarkable legacy through a lifetime of determination, vision, and quiet generosity. He began working with his father at Atta Chong Laundry, while also delivering newspapers and typesetting for Shing Wah Daily News (醒華日報), and later opened Fifth Avenue Cleaners on Broadview Avenue. A fan of cowboy and kung fu films, Dan also rented a local English-language movie theatre on Sundays to screen Chinese films in the 1960s, when there were no other Chinese movie theatres in Toronto. He later opened Danny’s Restaurant on Dupont and Christie Street, briefly owned the Chinese Toronto Credit Union Ltd., opened the Honey Bee Fried Chicken Restaurant in the Beaches in 1973, and later became the publisher of Shing Wah Daily News (醒華日報) and The Chinese Express Daily Newspaper (快報). In 1992, he opened the Autumn Moon Restaurant in Niagara Falls, his final business.

Dan was also greatly involved in community organizations that supported Chinese Canadians and helped him stay connected to his heritage. He was a member of the Toronto Chinese Community Centre and Jing Mo Kung Fu Club, the Chinese Nationalist League (Kuomintang), the Hoi Ping Benevolent Society of Ontario, Ship Toy Yen Benevolent Society, and the Lung Kong Association of Toronto. Later in life, he became a baptized member of the Chinese Presbyterian Church.

He was deeply devoted to his family, and many of his life decisions were guided by what would bring them joy and comfort. He opened the Honey Bee Fried Chicken Restaurant because his children, Gordon and Eileen, loved fried chicken. He bought the family home in Etobicoke because his daughter Mary, at age five, had fallen in love with the nearby park and playground. These choices reflected his quiet way of showing love through providing, protecting, and putting his family first.

Though he came to Canada to build a new life for himself and his own family, he never forgot those still in China. He generously helped many brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews start their own new lives in Toronto, financially supporting them and sponsoring their immigration. His generosity and willingness to help family rebuild in a new country created a wider circle of opportunity for many, and his legacy lives on in the families who found a fresh start here because of his help.

He leaves behind his loving children and their families: son Gordon and daughter-in-law Lily; granddaughters Rachael (husband Andrew), with great-grandchildren Teresa and Elora, and Emily (husband William), with great-grandchildren Lois, Simon, and Elliott; daughter Eileen and son-in-law Howard; grandsons Daniel (partner Sarah) and Jamie; and daughter Mary and son-in-law Raymond.

Dan Moon Chong touched the lives of many with his generosity, devotion, and quiet strength, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.