Jon Wei Mark, of Toronto, Ontario, passed away on December 7, 2023 at the age of 88. Jon is deeply missed by his loving wife Betty Mun-Yee (nee Fong), to whom he was married for over 59 years, his son Brian Lai-Bue, daughter-in-law Karen Sauer, and grandchildren John and Jasmine. He is survived by a large extended family of nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces, and great-grandnephews. He was predeceased by his daughter Karen Sue-King, his elder brother Wei Chow Mark, his elder sister Yuk Kam Chin, his father Shew Toon Mark, and his mother Mo Nuey Mark. Jon was born in a village in Taishan County, Guangdong, China. His early childhood was marked by economic hardship. His father, Shew Toon, emigrated from China to Canada shortly after Jon was born to find work and send money back home to the family. Jon showed an early aptitude for academics, breezing through the village primary school in record time. Seeing little opportunity for himself in China, Jon wrote a letter to his father asking him to sponsor him to emigrate to Canada. A couple of years later, Jon arrived and settled in Toronto in 1950. Due to his father’s job in Oakville, Ontario, Jon lived on his own in Toronto, working in a restaurant while attending school. Jon graduated from Jarvis Collegiate Institute and then studied at the University of Toronto, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1962. Upon graduation, he joined Westinghouse Canada in Hamilton, Ontario, rising quickly to the rank of senior engineer. While working at Westinghouse, he completed a Master’s degree in electrical engineering at McMaster University in 1968. Jon took a leave of absence from Westinghouse to pursue his PhD at McMaster, completing his doctorate in 1970. Jon then began a long and distinguished career in the Dept. of Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where he supervised well over 50 PhD students and visiting scholars. He served as the Chair of the Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1984-1990. He was actively involved in the IEEE Communications Society and was a Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of the Canadian National Academy of Engineering. Even after his official retirement in 2001 as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Jon continued to pursue research and mentor PhD students for many years. Jon was a brilliant and internationally respected researcher, whose work was always at the cutting-edge of communications technologies. He had a lasting positive impact on many people as a scholar, teacher, leader, and compassionate mentor. Over the years, he sponsored many family members to immigrate to Canada, including his mother and several nephews and nieces. Jon enjoyed spending time with his family, traveling with his wife Betty to various destinations, and getting together with relatives, friends, colleagues, and students. He was an avid tennis player and enjoyed activities such as skiing, camping, and hiking with his family. His legacy will continue to live on through his family, his extended family, friends, colleagues, former students, and visiting scholars. Visitation will take place on Saturday, December 16 at 12 noon at the Mount Pleasant Funeral Home followed by a funeral service at 12:30 pm. Guests are invited to attend a reception around 4 pm at Dim Sum King Restaurant, 421 Dundas St., 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jon W. Mark Graduate Scholarship in Communications at the University of Waterloo: 1) To make a gift by cheque, please mail it to Office of Advancement, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1. 2) To make a gift by phone, call 519-888-4567 ext. 32036 or 1-800-408-8715. 3) To make a gift online go to
https://waterloo-sec.imodules.com/s/1802/17/giving-form.aspx?sid=1802&gid=2&pgid=678&cid=1648
At the end of the section “Gift Designation” there is a box where one can type in “Jon W. Mark Graduate Scholarship in Communication."