William (Bill) Koon Kay Chan
Husband, father, physician, entrepreneur. Born on Feb. 3, 1925, in Singapore; died on March 7, 2015, in Markham, Ont., of complications from Parkinson's disease, aged 90.
Koon Kay was born in Singapore, the second-eldest boy in the Chan family's eight children. After their father's tanning business collapsed, the family moved to Canton, China, and then to Hong Kong. At 16, Koon Kay's life hit its lowest point, when his father died during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Daily life was a struggle and hunger a constant companion. His family did anything they could to survive, from peddling goods on the street to fixing radios to driving taxis.
It wasn't until he was 27 that he was able to return to high school, where he excelled in math and science. He then headed to Montreal, at 32, to study at McGill University, adopting the name William for his new life and medical career (though he was always Koon Kay to family and friends). When he missed several classes due to illness, he asked Lorraine Inouye, the top student in his biochemistry class, if he could borrow her notes. Her Japanese-Canadian family did not approve of this Chinese newcomer, who had no family in Canada, but they married in 1962.
As he completed medical school and Lorraine finished her doctorate, they became concerned about political instability in Quebec and decided to move to Ontario, settling in Scarborough. While he built his family medicine practice, Lorraine cared for their three young children, Edward, Andrew and Karen.
Always a restless overachiever, Koon Kay wanted to do more. With the guidance of one of his patients, who owned a grocery store, the couple opened Kealson Fruits (its name came from the first initials of their family names, plus "son," to represent future generations). At the time, few grocery stores in suburban Toronto catered to ethnic tastes and business was soon booming in the shop, which was on the lower level of the building housing his medical office.
Twice a week, Koon Kay woke at 5:30 a.m. to drive a truck to the Ontario Food Terminal to buy produce, returning by 11 a.m. to stock the store; then he saw patients in the afternoon and early evening. After that he would help Lorraine, the store manager, close the shop. They did this for more than 20 years, working 12-hour days. Income from the store was used to buy and develop commercial properties, allowing them to eventually transition to a property management company.
An independent thinker, with a strong and forthright character, Koon Kay could also be demanding and was not always easy to live with. Lorraine bore the burden of this, quietly and with grace. When she developed multiple sclerosis in her later years and had to use a wheelchair, he became her primary care giver. A talented handyman, he crafted a hoist and other devices to make her life easier.
After he retired from medicine at 70 and they closed the store in 2001, they decided to travel. Because cruising was the easiest method for Lorraine, they became world cruisers, racking up more than 150 voyages to places such as Antarctica, Asia and Australia. They shared a deep understanding and respect, and a profound connection; only three weeks after his death, Lorraine passed away.
Among his father's last words to Koon Kay was the admonition that he not let anyone look down on him, and that he become a successful and useful person to society. He succeeded on all counts. He lived his life with integrity, a generous heart, a keen intellect and a strong spirit. He will be forever missed.
Karen Chan is Koon Kay's daughter.