With a grieving heart we are notifying our relatives and friends that our mother Mrs. Helen Chan, whom we love and respect deeply, has passed. She suffered from a stroke about two weeks ago, was hospitalized at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and died peacefully in palliative care in the presence of family on December 17, 2025 at the age of 95.

Helen Yu Shou Ha Chan was born in Guangzhou, China on June 19, 1931. As a young girl she moved to Hong Kong with her family, and studied at Sacred Heart Canossian School. After graduation she was trained as a registered nurse, and furthered her studies in midwifery, subsequently working in different health institutions under the Hong Kong Government.

Even though our mother received Western-style education, and was a working professional, she retained a lot of traditional Chinese virtues. Since childhood she had strong family values, and practised filial piety towards her elders. Our mother and our father Ping Yee Chan had known each other for a long time, as both sets of parents were long-time friends, before they tied the knot in 1956. They had three children. Later on, in view of our father’s poor health, our mother resigned from her nursing career at Queen Mary Hospital after her youngest son was born, and focused on taking care of her husband and children.

Our mother was a reserved and down-to-earth person, never vain or prideful. She had a helping heart, and demonstrated how much family relationships meant to her by practical action. We remember that at different times we had two cousins and an aunt live together with us in our Hong Kong home, and they were treated like part of the family.

Unfortunately our father passed away prematurely in 1980. Still in her forties, our mother had to raise up us three siblings all by herself. She was fairly successful in accomplishing this mission – her daughter graduated from the University of Hong Kong, her two sons became a Ph. D and a medical doctor respectively in Canada, thereby establishing a good foundation for future contribution to different sectors of society.

Our mother immigrated to Canada in 1987. Previously selflessly living for others, and never spending time on her own hobbies, our mother was finally able to engage in some of her own interests and social life after immigration. She was an avid follower of Master Wang, from whom she diligently learned tai chi and qi gong, and was named Honorary President of Sui Yuan Alumni Association. She was a generous supporter of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, with her name being acknowledged on the donor list plaque for the Centre’s second phase building extension.

Later in life our mother suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease. For many years she participated in day programs operated by Carefirst, which offered her care and a lot of joy. She spent her last years peacefully at home. During this period, she developed an interest in music. While her memory was deteriorating, to the extent that she could not recognize her own children, she was still able to remember the lyrics of a number of songs and sing to their melodies.

Helen is survived by her three children
·       Grace (son-in-law David Cohen)
·       Albert (daughter-in-law Carmen Chan)
·       Lawrence (daughter-in-law Anh Truong)
 
and seven grandchildren / step-grandchildren
·       Raphael
·       Rodney
·       Bernice
·       Renee
·       Silken
·       Eliot
·       Laura Cohen
 
Our mother accepted Jesus several years ago, and is now resting in the Lord’s embrace.

We thank all our relatives and friends for their care and support.
 
Children of Helen Chan


𧫴以哀痛的心情通知親友，我們敬重愛戴的母親陳余秀霞夫人，已與世長辭。兩星期前中風入了新寧醫院，後轉往善終設施，於2025年12月17日安詳離世，家人隨侍在側，享年95歲。

陳余秀霞女士於農暦一九三一年六月十九日在廣州出生。少時跟家人來香港，就讀嘉諾撒聖心學校。畢業後受訓為註冊護士，並進修助產科，在香港政府不同醫療設施任職。

母親雖接受西方教育，更是職業女性，但無礙她保持中國人的傳統美德，自幼以家庭為重，對上一代極盡孝道。由於雙方家長本是世交 ，母親和我們父親陳秉彜早已相識，更於1956年共諧連理，婚後育有三子女。後因我們父親身體抱恙、幼子出世後便放棄了瑪麗醫院護士的工作，專心相夫教子。

母親沉實不浮誇，樂於助人，更以實際行動表現岀她對親情的重視。想當年我們兩個表哥和阿姨，都曾分別在我們香港的家中跟我們住在一起，如同家人一樣。

父親在1980年不幸早逝。當年四十多歲的母親，要獨力撫養我們三個孩子成材 - 女兒在香港大學畢業，兩個兒子則在加拿大成為博士和醫生，為日後在社會不同領域作出貢獻打好了基礎。

母親1987年移民加拿大。之前純為家人付出、不花時間在個人嗜好上的母親，終於可享受一些自己有興趣的活動和社交生活。她跟汪棣賢師傅學習太極氣功，任隨緣同學會的名譽會長，並贊助大多倫多中華文化中心，被納入第二期擴建嗚謝捐助者名列。

其後得阿氏失智症，參加耆輝日間耆老活動多年，從中得到照顧和不少歡樂，並在家中安享晚年。在此期間對音樂產生了興趣。記憶衰退，及至連自己子女也認不出的階段，卻仍能唱誦多首曲目的歌辭。

她育有三名子女
• 家敏（婿 David Cohen)
• 家成（媳 陳燕清）
• 家就（媳 張櫻心）
和七位內/外/繼 孫男孫女
• 駿華
• 駿邦
• 翩倩
• 翩韻
• 翰彰
• 翰軒
• Laura Cohen

母親數年前接受了耶穌，現已安息主懷。多謝各親友的關愛與支持。

陳余秀霞眾兒女 敬上