Mrs. Kow Oi YEE (née Tam) 余譚巧愛 (1934/36-2024)

With heavy hearts, the Yee Family announces the passing of our beloved mother in the early hours of Sunday, December 8, 2024, at Toronto General Hospital, the same place where our father passed away in September 2013. Cause of death was living a long, rich, fulfilling life—with a little help near the end from dementia and pneumonia.

Mom died peacefully and comfortably after spending quality time with family members in her final weeks. Sisters Jean and Ruth came from Grimsby and Etobicoke and brother Bruce came from Ottawa to help with her care. Our younger sister Alison and her husband Phil Rivard flew in from Timmins and spent six days at my mother’s bedside, helping her to cross over and reunite with our late father and oldest brother. It was my mother’s expressed desire to leave this life gently, without too much fuss, and not alone. We are pleased that we were able to give her the end of life that she wanted as one last thank-you gift.

Mrs. Kow Oi YEE was predeceased by her parents 譚光禧 HUM Kong Hee (1904-1980) and 譚黄瑶玉 (née Wong) (1905-1961), by her late husband Mr. Shell Thead (Ken) YEE 余兆錫 (1934/36-2013), and by her eldest son, Dr. Allen YEE 余超銘 (1959-2010).

She is survived by her 5 other children, Jean Yee (late John Millard), Ruth Yee Dunn, Bruce Yee (Nancy), Carsey, and Alison Yee (Phil Rivard); by 8 grandchildren, Matthew Yee (Kirby), Marc Millard (Akari), Ryan Dunn, Cameron Dunn (Sheli), Kieran Yee, Brianna Yee, Teagan Yee, and Jordan Yee; and by two great-grandchildren, Nathan & Silvi Dunn.

Mom was predeceased by her older sister Mrs. Zhenai (Tan) ZHEN 甄譚珍愛 (1926-2012) and is survived by her younger brother Mr. Mike TAM 譚泉洲 of San Francisco, California.

Mom was born and raised in a Toisanese village in Guangdong (Canton province), China 中華民國 廣東省 台山縣 白水鄉 圆坑村. (She was actually born in 1934, though her Canadian immigration documents say 1936.) As a child, she survived the Japanese occupation of her village during WWII while her father was overseas in Canada. After the war, her family moved to the county seat, Taicheng 台城, where she attended the most prestigious school for girls 台山女師.

In the mid-1950s, Mom escaped to Hong Kong from communist China with her mother and brother. She lived in Hong Kong for a few years before coming to Canada to marry our father, Mr. Shell Thead YEE. They were married in Moose Jaw on September 11, 1958, and lived for two years in Grenfell, Saskatchewan, where their first child, Allen, was born in 1959.

In 1960, the young couple moved to Timmins, a mining town in northern Ontario, where they would live, work and raise a family for the next 50 years. In 2004, my parents celebrated their joint 70th birthdays 雙壽with a big party at Dimples Restaurant, the family business. This event was a highlight of their life in Timmins.

In 2010, after Allen passed away, both our parents fell very ill. That spring, we moved them to Toronto for healthcare reasons. Thus began the final chapter of their lives, when Carsey would become their filial caregiver for the next 14.5 years.

Mrs. Yee survived breast cancer twice, and, over her lifetime, received life-saving, life-extending quality care at several hospitals including Toronto General, Toronto Western, Princess Margaret and Mt. Sinai Hospitals in Toronto and at the Timmins and District Hospital in Timmins. She also received excellent care from our family doctor, Dr. King-Fun Siu, for the past two decades, as well as bathing help twice a week from our wonderful personal support worker Wendy Wei for more than a decade.

Mom often said to Carsey: “When I can no longer go to the bathroom on my own, or cannot feed myself, and/or I no longer recognize you, then that’s when you should put me in a nursing home. And don’t you feel bad about it if/when that time comes!” Ever the devoted mother, her peaceful passing now means that we will be spared the further stress of finding extra care for her at home or placing her in a long-term care facility.

The YEE family would like to thank all those who have known our mother and enriched her life, including her many fans on Facebook. Over the past 15 years, Mom has defied the odds and the gods 呃造化 and somehow made it to age 90. In our Toisanese tradition, when someone makes it to 90, their funeral becomes more a celebration of life than mourning a loss.

The funeral for my mother will take place at Pine Hills Cemetery Funeral Centre, 625 Birchmount Road, Toronto, on Saturday, December 21, 2024. Visitation at 10-11am, service at 11am, and interment to follow. Guests will be invited to join the family for a luncheon after the funeral. All are welcome to attend, but we also understand that this is a busy time of year. For those who cannot attend in person, the service will be streamed live on the funeral home website.

Instead of flowers, please feel free to make a donation in memory of Mrs. Kow Oi YEE to the Toronto General Hospital (UHNfoundation.ca), or to the Timmins & District Hospital (TADHfoundation.com), or to any local hospital or healthcare organization of your choice.

With love and light at this darkest of times,

The YEE Family

We can be reached at: carsey@gmail.com