It is with sad hearts that we announce the passing of Kwai Fi Poon, at the age of 93, on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. He will be lovingly remembered by his oldest daughter Lancy and her husband Steve; his second daughter Lily; his oldest son Kwan and his wife Joan; his third daughter Martha and her husband Shea Yan; his fourth daughter Martina and her husband Ken; his fifth daughter Liza and her husband Francis; his youngest son Wood and his wife Cori; his 12 grandchildren; his 3 great-grandchildren; as well as many relatives and friends whom have been blessed to have known him.

Kwai Fi was born in a small village in Hoi Ping, China. He had two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister. He was brought up single-handedly by his mother while his father lived and worked in the Philippines. Despite being only raised by his mother, he had a happy childhood pursuing his hobbies in basketball and swimming.

Having to live through the harsh and meager conditions after the Second Sino-Japanese War in China, Kwai Fi learned to be extremely versatile and street smart in making a living to support his growing family. He worked in many professions in China and Macau from being a butcher, a snake catcher, a waiter, an oil maker, and even an apprentice to a wonton noodle master. It was a very tough experience for Kwai Fi each time as he learned how unfair and abusive some of his bosses could be during those times when there was practically no labour laws to protect the employee’s rights.

Even though Kwai Fi was barely making ends meet with a huge family, he would always still extend his support and care generously to help his fellow extended relatives coming from China to seek a new home in Macau. It was also during these tough times that he gradually discovered his own naturally born entrepreneur skills to start his own business to be a better and fair boss. After a couple of unsuccessful stints in starting his own sustainable business, he eventually ventured into the construction business and started his own construction company (Golden Eagle) with financial aids in the form of loans from his mother-in-law and his two brothers in the Philippines. From then on, he became a very successful builder in Macau by building many high quality apartment buildings, all of which still stand and very much in livable conditions in different areas of Macau today!

His success and fortune in the construction business also allowed him to lead several major years-long efforts in raising and donating funds in a generous manner to build a school, a teachers residence, and new roads in his hometown village where he was born to ensure the next generation of children in the village would get the better education they needed to have a better life than he did.

Once his children grew up, he retired in his late 50s with contentment. In 1990, Kwai Fi and his wife immigrated to Canada to reunite with all their children. While living in Canada, he often showcased his strong chef skills and enjoyed cooking delicious feasts for his children and grandchildren every weekend. Cooking food in these weekly gatherings was his expression of love and generosity towards his family. His homemade shark fin chicken soup was just out of this world. Even his Vietnamese pho consistently tasted better than many authentic Vietnamese restaurants. He will be greatly missed for his loving care and generosity.