The funeral service will be live-streamed. A link will appear on this page five minutes before the service, i.e. at 9:55 am, on Saturday, July 29.

Stephen Kwock-Wah Tham of Scarborough, ON, husband of Lorna Fu-Ti Tham, passed away peacefully on Thurs. July 20, 2023, at the age of 89 in Scarborough Grace Hospital. In addition to his loving wife, he left behind his younger brother Paul Tham and family, daughter Susan Provencher and family (husband Luc Provencher, son Jonathan & Rina Provencher, daughter Sarah & Ivan Boivin with Vera & Irene, daughter Esther & Antonio Orellana with Eliza & Evelyn, son Timothy & Sophie Provencher with Melia), son Ted Tham and family (wife Melody Tseng-Tham, sons Joshua & Caleb), and son Fred Tham and family (wife Katherine Tham, sons Daniel, Michael and Joseph). Stephen was predeceased by his eldest son Andrew, who passed away on Nov. 21, 1990. We know they are now having a joyful reunion with Stephen’s mother in heaven as they all worship God around His throne of grace.

Stephen was born on April 6, 1934, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. He rose above childhood and family challenges to excel in his studies and distinguish himself at a private school in Darjeeling, in northern India. His character was marked by deep humility and consistent faithfulness. He served as a dependable accountant with the Ling Liang church and school in Calcutta, volunteered with the Gideon Bible Society handing out bibles in schools, and helped his sister Nancy in her hair salon, where he met his future bride, Lorna. After the momentous decision to move, the family of six immigrated to Toronto in 1970. There Stephen went to Centennial College to get a “Class A” mechanic’s license and worked steadily for over 40 years as one of Canada’s earliest diesel truck mechanics. He worked hard every evening on the night shift and rarely took a vacation. He was a dependable mechanic who was faithful in all that he did – whether to his company, wife, family, friends, or God. He was a man of integrity and “salt of the earth.”

Stephen’s faithfulness was especially evident in his walk with our Lord. He attended church every Sunday with his family – first at Jarvis St. Baptist Church in downtown Toronto, and then at Calvary Baptist Church in Brampton when the family moved there. He told his children later in life that he had wanted to be full-time in vocational Christian ministry. However, he eventually discerned that God wanted him to faithfully raise up a large family and commit his children to the Lord. With God’s grace, all four did later study at various seminaries. Two of his sons became full-time pastors, his daughter met her husband in seminary and are serving the Lord, even as Stephen did, and one grandchild graduated from seminary also.

Stephen loved gardening, reading (he read through the encyclopedia, starting from “A”!), going to downtown Chinatown regularly, being a handyman around the house, and taking good care of his cars. He took such good care of his Datsun B210 (an early Nissan) that it went around twice on its odometer before finally rusting out.

Like his Datsun, Stephen lived a long and fruitful life. He touched many lives, and his legacy of faithfulness lives on in his wife, children (3), grandchildren (9), and great-grandchildren (5). We will miss his laughter, love, and zest for life. But mostly we’ll miss his prayers and silent, authentic, sincere faith that shone through all that he did.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

葬禮將進行現場直播。 該頁面將在禮拜前五分鐘（即 7 月 29 日星期六上午 9:55）出現一個鏈接。

譚國華 (Stephen Kwock-Wah Tham) 是來自安大略省士嘉堡。他是譚福弟 (Lorna Fu-Ti Tham) 的丈夫，於週四在士嘉堡格雷斯醫院平靜地去世，享年89 歲。 除了他深愛的妻子之外，他還留下了弟弟 Paul Tham 和家人、女兒 Susan Provencher 和家人（丈夫 Luc Provencher、兒子 Jonathan 和 Rina Provencher、女兒 Sarah 和 Ivan Boivin 與 Vera 和 Irene、女兒 Esther 和 Antonio Orellana 與 Eliza 和 Evelyn、兒子 Timothy 和 Sophie Provencher 與 Melia）、兒子 Ted Tham 和家人（妻子 Melody Tseng-Tham、兒子 Joshua 和 Caleb），以及兒子 Fred Tham 和家人（妻子 Katherine Tham，兒子 Daniel、Michael 和 Joseph）。 譚國華的長子Andrew 於 1990 年 11 月 21 日去世。我們知道他們現在與譚國華的母親在天上快樂團聚，他們都在上帝的施恩寶座周圍敬拜上帝。

譚國華於 1934 年 4 月 6 日出生於印度加爾各答（現加爾各答）。 他克服了童年和家庭的挑戰，在印度北部大吉嶺的一所私立學校學習出色，並取得了優異的成績。 他性格的特點是極度謙卑和始終如一的忠誠。 他在加爾各答的靈良教堂和學校擔任可靠的會計，在吉迪恩聖經協會做志願者，在學校分發聖經，並在妹妹南希的髮廊裡幫忙，在那裡他遇到了未來的新娘王福弟。 在做出搬家的重大決定後，一家六口於 1970 年移民到多倫多。譚國華在 Centennial College 取得了“A 級”機械師執照，並作為加拿大最早的柴油卡車機械師之一穩定工作了 40 多年。 他每天晚上都努力上夜班，很少休假。 他是一位可靠的機械師，對自己所做的一切都忠誠——無論是對公司、妻子、家人、朋友還是上帝。 他是一個正直的人，也是“世上的中堅”。

譚國華的忠誠在他與我們的主同行中尤其明顯。 他每週日都會和家人一起去教堂——首先是在多倫多市中心的 Jarvis St. Baptist Church，然後是布蘭普頓的 Calvary Baptist Church。 他後來告訴他的孩子們，他想全職從事職業基督教事工。 然而，他最終意識到神希望他忠心地建立一個大家庭，並將他的孩子們交託給神。 靠著上帝的恩典，四人後來都在不同的神學院學習。 他的兩個兒子成為全職牧師，他的女兒在神學院遇見了她的丈夫，並像譚國華一樣事奉主。他的大外孫女也是從神學院畢業。

譚國華喜歡園藝、閱讀（他從“A”開始讀完百科全書！）、定期去唐人街市中心、在房子周圍做雜工，並保養好他的汽車。 他對自己的 Datsun B210（早期的日產汽車）保養得非常好，以至於它在里程表上轉了兩圈才最終生鏽。

和他的 Datsun 一樣，譚國華也度過了漫長而富有成果的一生。 他感動了許多人，他的忠誠遺產也延續到了他的妻子、孩子 (3)、孫子 (9) 和曾孫 (5) 身上。 我們會懷念他的笑聲、愛和對生活的熱情。 但最重要的是，我們會懷念他的祈禱和他所做的一切所閃耀的沉默、真實、真誠的信仰。

「我一生一世必有恩惠慈愛隨著我；我且要住在耶和華的殿中，直到永遠。」 （詩篇 23:6）