Allan (Chee Yun) Leong.Courtesy of family
Allan (Chee Yun) Leong: Paper son. Fan. Joker. Father. Born Dec. 12, 1936, in Kwongtung, China; died Oct. 4, 2022, in Calgary, after a stroke; aged 85.
Chee Yun Leong arrived in Canada as an illegal “Paper Son.” His family paid for him to be the son of another family who had sent their child back to China, with no plans to return. He slipped out of his rural village pretending to be a member of the family walking ahead of him. He spent some time in Hong Kong, arriving in Vancouver in 1952.
After decades of inequities that started with the Head Tax, the Canadian government allowed him and other illegal immigrants to reclaim their true identities in 1967. Now going by the name Allan, he never held a grudge. He believed coming to “Gold Mountain” was a privilege, any negative feelings belonged in the past. Besides, meeting his wife, Eva Lee, in Vancouver had him sold on his new country. He met her through the store he worked at which was owned by his Uncle Jimmy – a real uncle. All it took was one dance and they were in love. They married in 1957, Eva was just 17 and needed her parents’ permission.
Together with Eva, a third-generation Western Canadian, they raised an English-speaking household, designed so he could learn English and Western ways. The couple first had a daughter, Jamie, who, they joked, was not the first-born son that Chinese families desire. A son, Jason, followed four years later. Allan was a great cook at home and known for Chinese doughnuts, light and airy when fresh from the deep fryer but no good the next day, not that there were ever any left.
Allan and Eva owned a corner grocery for 23 years in Calgary. It was a lot of hard work and long hours – open 12 hours a day, closing only for Christmas and New Year’s Days. While it might sound like a lot, they loved every moment. Customers became friends and the neighbourhood of Banff Trail became central to their lives. Allan particularly loved the lunchtime crowd, when students came in for their sugar fix. Joking around with them was the highlight of his day. Jamie and Jason were expected to work, but that came in exchange for cars, bikes and pocket money for fun with friends.
Volunteering was a big part of Allan’s character, both in the neighbourhood and through the Shon Yee Benevolent Society, the source of lifelong friendships. He received the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow for outstanding community commitment and service. He was nominated by the son of an elderly customer whom he often helped. Allan was not even a Rotary member and couldn’t quite believe the charity organization saw his actions as anything special.
Allan’s big passion was cars. He loved to flip vehicles, as it put a few bucks into his pocket and time spent tinkering on the cars was always spent with his buddies. Over his lifetime, he owned a ‘65 Mustang convertible, ‘69 Shelby Cobra GT-500 Fastback, Cadillacs, Saabs, pickups, one BMW, several Minis, many gigantic sedans to keep his kids safe plus station wagons to haul stock for the grocery store.
He also loved watching sports on TV and was thrilled to see the Raptors win the NBA championship in 2019. Allan was the armchair equivalent of the team’s Super Fan, he never missed a game.
Eva died in 2005, sadly just a few years after they had sold the store and retired. He focused his energy on being a beloved Goong Goong to his two grandchildren, having sleepovers at every opportunity and giving lucky red envelopes with at least $20 (and likely $100) in each.
Allan was generous and known for making everyone laugh. The Leong home was drop-in central for family and friends, including his children’s friends. This continued until the last years of his life when he lived in a supportive care community – it became his new neighbourhood. Allan’s door was always open. He was always joking and making new friends.
Jamie Leong-Huxley is Allan’s daughter.
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