Feisty. Funny. A fighter. That’s how anyone who knew our father would describe him.

Lu Shing Lee was born in Kolkata, India. He was the second son in a family of eight children. His mother was tragically widowed when Pa was just nine years old. Forced to grow up much too fast, he left school when he was still a child and worked at a number of different jobs in order to help support the family.

One of those jobs was as a typesetter for a Chinese language newspaper. Despite having only a very basic education, Pa’s literacy flourished. He wrote Chinese characters beautifully.

Pa also trained as a welder. It was physically taxing, dirty work. Nevertheless, it was a skilled trade and was better compensated than many other jobs that were open to him.

In 1967, Pa moved to England to help out at his eldest sister’s restaurant. He worked very long hours, often from 10:00 am to midnight, washing dishes and julienning vegetables. He also attended Pinelands School in Bournemouth to learn a bit of English, acquiring useful phrases like, “This is a cat”, and, “This is not a cat”. Mum arrived shortly afterwards. They married, and soon decided to immigrate to Canada for a better life.

Pa and Mum landed in Toronto in 1968. Chinatown was limited to a measly few streets near City Hall. In those days, it was harder to find Chinese (and Indian) ingredients to cook the foods that they missed from back home.

Adapting to a new country was tough. In Chinese, there is a proverb about “eating bitterness”, meaning one must endure hardship to forge ahead, even when it’s really difficult. They worked ferociously. Pa sometimes clocked in seven-day work weeks, explaining that it was hard to turn down double-time overtime pay. They scrimped, they pinched. They emphasized the importance of education. Pa and Mum sacrificed to better their daughters’ futures.

Eventually, they had the means to help reunite Pa’s siblings so the extended family could also benefit from the greater opportunities in Canada.

As life improved, Pa and Mum were able to travel. Pa journeyed to China not long after the country first opened up to foreign tourists. Although he toured many places in the world, China would always remain unequivocally his favourite place to explore.

Pa also enjoyed a good joke. Like the time he secretly duct taped over the sensor on the TV remote. He sat there innocently poker-faced, while the rest of us flopped around in a panic, wondering what the heck was wrong with our beloved TV. Or the time he boldly declared he could drive with his eyes closed (he couldn’t, and he didn’t - let’s just say there was a lot of deceptive winking involved).

In 2007, Pa was diagnosed with cancer. With Mum’s tireless support, Pa battled fiercely, snatching back another 16 years of life. More time to enjoy all four of his grandchildren, and to see them sprout like weeds.

In 2014, Mum passed away. Pa, who relied on her for nearly everything, somehow figured it out. He continued living on his own for many years, with the help of family, friends and, the restorative powers of the casino.

More recently, Pa’s health grew increasingly fragile. He moved into a retirement home. Resistant at first, he quickly adapted, impressing new friends with his ability to “read” mahjong tiles by touch, with a deft slide of his fingers. He was also crowned Bingo Champ on a regular basis, a testament to his ever clear and sharp mind.

Pa lived a good, long life, faced at times with challenges, but also blessed with much joy and happiness.

Pa will be greatly missed. He leaves behind his daughters Patsy and Brenda (Daniel), and his grandchildren Lili, Matthew, Justin and Olivia.

If desired, please consider donations in Pa’s name to Love Scarborough – SHN Foundation.