Eulogy by Matthew Fong

WELCOME
Good afternoon everyone, family and friends all. On behalf of my father George and my
brothers Aaron and Jason, I would like to thank everyone for braving the cold in coming
out to join in this ceremony for the remembrance of my mother, Anna Fong, and the
celebration of her life. I imagine that she would be quietly appreciative of your gracious
gestures at such a time. Of all the papers, announcements, and speeches I have ever
had to compose, this has been the most difficult not because of any lingering
emotions or feelings of regret, but rather because there is simply so much to tell about
the most wonderful mother. How does one deliver the richness of a life in words? I
realize, though, that because we have all connected with Anna in some way, our own
human experiences will fill in the blanks. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight
her accomplishments as well as the most important experiences of my mom that I have
had as her son ones of observing a courageous, kind, and diligent leader.
LEADERSHIP
When I was growing up, my mom would sometimes tell me stories about life in Hong
Kong, which I gathered was not the easiest life. However, being the eldest of three
brothers, I always found I could relate to these stories and lessons in one way or
another. At the age of six, she was able to take her sisters on the bus to school at Our
Ladys College. After school, she would go to the store and purchase the weeks
groceries for the whole family. Every day she would do this, making her way through the
crowded, noisy, and sometimes dangerous streets of Hong Kong. A striking aspect of
these early stories was how young she was, and how different a place like Hong Kong
is from that of my own upbringing. Ten years later, my mom found herself in Canada, an
alien landscape where she did not know the language or anybody. The result of such a
change was that the four sisters grew even closer than they were previously, and the
responsibility to provide a mature example fell on my mom. I know that she rose
admirably to such a challenge when I consider how my maternal aunts and
grandparents always speak well of my mothers influence as a model person and
leader. Furthermore when one considers that my mom shifted from nursing to full-time
mothering and homemaking, it takes leadership and decision-making ability to run a
household, especially one with three boys.
COURAGE
I have noticed that to be a good leader, one also needs to be courageous. Being thrown
out of familiarity and into a foreign land at sixteen is not for everyone. Neither are
working in a post-operative surgical intensive care unit in a hospital, raising three
children and working in a family practice, or living in a city far away from your parents

and family for many years. Yet, the most profound of these challenges was her fight
with cancer. Of course she was troubled and sad that she was facing death, but never
once did my mom give up hope for relief from her disease. She defied all the doctors
predictions and lived longer than anyone had expected, which afforded me the chance
to be at her side till the end, a chance for which I will be forever grateful. Having had to
grow up quickly, so to speak, in the last few years as a result of my moms illness, the
reality of her responsibilities is now clear to me. I suspect that the value she always
placed on family cohesion stemmed from her experiences of such, and I find myself in a
similar situation today. This is not to say that I worry. Her ability to be brave in the face
of all adversity in her life is a comfort in these uncertain times. One can see that she
was a natural leader from an early age and throughout her entire life.
KINDNESS
I have also learned that the best leaders are not only courageous, but also kind. When I
think back to my own childhood, I remember looking forward to coming home from
school every day with my mom. She would always surprise me with a gift of some sort
nothing expensive or complicated, but it would be something like a new pencil, a burger,
or a t-shirt. In turn I always loved accompanying her whenever she went out of the
house; this was something she would ask me to do through the years and that I always
found time for. In the evenings she would then stay by my bedside until I fell asleep,
something she did for many years until I could do so myself. Throughout the years, she
encouraged me to do what I wanted to do, and neither overly praised nor belittled my
achievements in school and life. Consider the connection between nursing and
motherhood the skills and values of such roles can only serve to reinforce each other,
and the outcome of being able to care on the deepest of levels is clear. On the surface,
my mom was certainly a fiercely self-sufficient person, but I know that underneath was a
wise and sensitive person devoted to her roles in life. This sort of devotion could only
come from someone who is a great parent. I am truly fortunate to have had such a
wonderfully kind person in my life.
DILIGENCE
One thing I will always miss is her unrivalled culinary prowess, which she developed
herself under my grandmothers guidance from a very young age. My mom always said
she wasnt an artist, but this was one art in which she excelled. She would often try new
combinations of ingredients and therefore we always had something different and
delicious for dinner. I have recently realized how many experimental meals my family
must have unwittingly eaten in years past. However, there were never any mishaps, so I
credit my moms skills even more. In addition to cooking, she was also a great
gardener. She possessed a deep understanding of how plants, flowers, and trees work.
She loved these things and it gave her joy to see her handiwork grow. She would often

spend a whole day out in the yard tending to a plethora of species whose names I can
never remember. The important lesson though, is that she was incredibly diligent in her
gardening, and the results were always fantastic to behold. I have tried to emulate this
sort of intrinsic understanding in my own areas of interest, using my moms level of
connection to these occupations as a standard. I hope to be as well regarded in my
interests as she was in hers.
CONCLUSION
We have seen here that Anna was quite well-rounded in her experiences and skills, and
it was with these that she grew to be a great mother. Through all her life, she
demonstrated incredible strength and resolve, her courage tempered with her hidden
sensitivity. If I were to identify the most important lesson I have learned from my mom, it
would be when you do something, do it well to the utmost of your ability.
With your knowledge of her life history and my illuminations of my moms life from a
sons perspective in mind, I ask everyone to consider how they fit in to that story. How
did your life thread intertwine with that of my mother? It is not merely the facts we
establish about a persons life, but more importantly the experience of that life that
validates being human. Thus, we are gathered here today to carry our favourite
meanings and memories of Anna close at heart. And so in kind, I am comforted that as
we make our own ways through life, we will establish similar meanings and memories
with many others, keeping in mind and heart the benefits of the interactions we each
had with Anna. I believe that is the greatest way in which we can pay our sincerest
respects to a very special lady.
In closing, I would like to leave you with the lyrics of a song called That Wonderful
Mother of Mine, written by Clyde Hager and Walter Goodwin:

THAT WONDERFUL MOTHER OF MINE

The moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of that wonderful mother of mine.
The birds never sing but a message they bring
Of that wonderful mother of mine.
Just to bring back the time, that was so sweet to me,
Just to bring back the days, when I sat on her knee.
I pray ev'ry night to our Father above,
For that wonderful mother of mine.
I ask Him to keep her as long as He can
That -- wonderful mother of mine.
There are treasures on earth, that made life seem worthwhile,
But there's none can compare to my mother's smile.
You are a wonderful mother, dear old Mother of mine.
You'll hold a spot down deep in my heart,
'Till the stars no longer shine.
Your soul shall live on forever,
On through the fields of time.
For there'll never be another to me,
Like that wonderful Mother of mine.
-- Clyde Hager & Walter Goodwin

Tribute to Anna, from Susanna

To Anna, , my Big-Sis, who we all respect. Ever since I was a small child, I knew
that my Big-Sis would always be there for me. Our childhood years in Hong Kong were
filled with fun and we had a lot of fond memories growing up together. Although we
didnt have many toys, we had very creative minds. One of our favourite past-time was
playacting, when bed sheets were used as costumes and moms high heels were all
flattened and ruined by our little feet. When mom found out, Anna would cover for us
and took the blame.
Anna loved to cook, garden and enjoyed the company of family and friends. During the
past few months, we came to Edmonton numerous times to visit. Anna repeatedly said
how nice it was to have so many people sitting around the dining table to have dinner
with her family. My sister loved to cook for her family and friends, even if it was a big
group. She loved to share her many favourite recipes and cooking tips with us.
When our children were small, we couldnt really spend a lot of time together. But we
had always tried to reconnect with each other whenever we had the chance. The
vacations that we took together, whether it was the cruise to Hawaii, or just a short trip
to Kelowna, Parksville on Vancouver Island, skiing and snow-shoeing at Cypress, all left
us with many happy and beautiful memories. I remember the trip to Kelowna, a place
where the average rainfall was about 5 inches annually. It seemed that we got more
than the whole years rainfall in less than 5 days. Instead of all the outdoor activities
that we anticipated, we spent a lot of time indoor cooking gourmet breakfasts, lunches
and dinners. Anna didnt care whether we actually had exciting places to go to in our
itinerary. She just enjoyed the time she spent with her family, a whopping 16 of us!
Annas garden is a masterpiece of her passion for gardening. I called that Annas
secret garden. The tranquility of her garden and the beauty of every plant and flower
are evident of Annas love for nature. Any plant would flourish under Annas care. The
orchids in her house bloom year after year, as if they dont ever want to stop flowering.
With Annas green thumb, plants and flowers just cant wait to show their smiling faces.
Sometimes when we chat on the phone, about plants among other things, she would
give me valuable tips on gardening.
Annas courageous battle with cancer has been inspirational. She had never let her ill
health got in the way of her strong desire to live her life; to raise her family; to be the
most supporting wife; the greatest mom; and the best sister that anyone can ask for.
Anna, you put your time, heart and energy into making everyones life brighter and
happier. You reflect, inspire and share so much love with everyone lucky enough to be
part of your life. You are more than a sister to me. We all love you and were all going
to miss you.
Susanna

A Tribute to Anna (Apr 25th 1957 Dec 17th 2010)

It has been almost 2 weeks since Anna passed away and I am still in shocking disbelief
over the finality of my sisters death.
I will miss her good natured phone calls and her emails demanding her sisters in
Vancouver to look after this & that for our parents.
I will miss her cheerful smile and that mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
I will miss her Vancouver visits and the household handiwork she did for us
I will miss sharing my funny stories with her on aging parents.
I will miss her fine cooking and
I will miss all the fun times we had on our annual family vacations.
It is only now when I try to put thoughts on paper that I realized what a big void Anna
had left behind in all of us.
I admire Annas courage to face her life challenges head on. Her tenacity to live every
day in hope and bliss is an inspiration that will stay with me forever. Her will to fight this
merciless disease to the end is second to none I know.
Thinking back to that ordinary afternoon in March of 1997 when Anna called to deliver
her highly unordinary news that she had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer
seemed like such a long time ago. At that time, we were very fearful that that would be
the end of Anna, but she came through and we were happy for her but mindful of
human mortality for the first time in our family. Since then, there had been a
progression of close-call recurrences over the years but every time there would be a
drug that could save the day for Anna. So why not this time? Is my big sister really
gone or is this just a never-ending dream?
I feel for Anna, because her life was robbed out of her at her prime; just when she
should begin to reap some of her hard-earned harvest. I feel for her family because
they lost a devoted mother and wife. I feel for my parents for losing a precious and
beloved daughter. As for me and my two siblings, we are in profound sadness that our
journey through life going forward will be missing a piece without our big sister.
Dear Anna, YOU will be sorely missed!
Your loving sister,Chris

A TRIBUTE TO MY VERY DEAR SISTER, ANNA

My sister, Anna, had always been a great source of inspiration to me through her quiet
deeds and words of observation. When I was young, I remember Anna as being
generous with her money, and thoughtful with her time. She would bring money home
as soon as she could earn, and buy various pieces of furniture for the family to enjoy.
She exposed me to the cultural world by bringing me to ballets and vso concerts. To
this day, seeing advertisements for Don Quixote, Swan Lake, and especially the
Nutcracker, make me smile as they bring back sweet memories of outings with Anna.
She would bring our mother whos restricted in language and travel, to different places
and to try different foods. For many years after, our mother made it a frequent point to
mention that to me.
When I became a new bride and young mother, Anna would often guide me through her
observations and experience. Even when her cancer became worrisome, Anna spent
time subscribing magazines like Chirp and Chickadee, World, and Kids National
Geographic; magazines my children still continue to enjoy today. She shared with me
many wisdoms about parenting and marriage, about caring for families, both of origin
and immediate.
Throughout her illness, Anna inspired me tremendously through her show of strength
and grace. Not once in all our years of conversation, did Anna complain about all that
she had to endure. Her emails to me about its progression were always written to be
informative, but never worrisome, as she always mentioned a source of hope. Through
out all these years, as I watched her fight her cancer, I found myself repeatedly
humbled, as I also watched her graceful style in handling all that came to her.
During her last trip in Vancouver, we had the good fortune one day, to have some free
time and good weather to enjoy a car ride. Short of Park Royal Mall and Lynn Canyon, I
drove to all of Annas favorite places in Vancouver. Throughout the ride, Anna looked
relaxed as she enjoyed the sites and our easy conversation. At the end of the car ride,
when it was time to part, Anna turned her head towards me as she was walking towards
the hotel, and with a happy look in her eye, she gave me not a smile, but a grin. The
image that Anna gave me that day, summarized a thousand words of what my very dear
sister meant to me.
I wish her eternal peace.
Eva Wong

TRIBUTE BY GEORGE, HUSBAND OF ANNA, DEC 30, 2010

MY BELOVED WIFE, ANNA
Being her husband for 26 years, when I think of Anna, many wonderful things come to
mind. Today I want to share with you 2 of them: her love of and devotion to her family,
and her living of life always with determination and hope.
First, I will talk about Annas love of and devotion to her family. One cannot approach
the topic of death without mentioning the word spirituality. It is a word that speaks to
something greater than oneself. How did spirituality apply to Anna? As a good friend
once said, Anna had a spirituality that was grounded in what is really down-to-earth,
what was really practical. For Anna, deeds involving practicalities were the vehicles by
which she can best deliver her expressions of devotion, love and care of others. She
believed in delivering the goods competently and efficiently as the ultimate
demonstration of loving and caring of others.
As you can read from the biographical sketch in your program pamphlet, Anna worked
in the Heart Transplant Unit at the University of Alberta Hospital. There she participated
in work that was dedicated to giving life to those who could not live on without a new
heart. How she loved her work! But when our sons came into her life, and I was working
long hours as a family doctor, Anna decided to quit her full-time work as a nurse at the
University of Alberta Hospital. She wanted to change careers in order to devote more
time to home. She felt strongly that the needs of the children and of me required the
sacrifice of her cherished work as a nurse in the Heart Transplant Unit.
Anna took administrative and management courses and eventually, she came to work
for me on a part-time basis, helping me with the management and administrative duties
of my family practice medical clinic. Here too, Anna put in tremendous dedication to her
new job. She was innovative, efficient, and thorough.
In her other job as a wife and mother, her children and I would come first before her.
Her love and devotion for us were always expressed in practical action rather than
sentimental words and doings. I was usually very busy with my medical practice,
working long hours. So to lessen the load on my life, not only did Anna help me with
managing my office, she took good care of our 3 sons, and excelled at being a
homemaker. She enjoyed cooking and experimented with many different recipes. Being
an astute observer and having keen memory, she would figure out and remember the
exact likes and dislikes in foods of each of the family members; and the 3 boys and I all
have very different tastes. Next, she would come up with all kinds of ideas as to how to
put in good nutrition into each dish. For example, if one of us disliked green vegetables,
then she would figure out all sorts of ways to combine them into his favourite foods. So,
for each and every meal, Anna would cook several dishes, making sure that each one

of us would get at least a one or two of the dishes that he would usually really enjoy and
which would be well balanced in nutrition as well. That is indeed the labour of love.
One of the remarkable things about Anna is that when I state that she took care of the
home for me, she literally took care of the well-being of entire physical structure of the
house as well. Not only did she know how to decorate the home inside and out, she
would always figure out how to set up or fix up or renovate various things in the house,
which included electronics, doors, windows, walls, the furnace, faucets, furniture,
household gadgets, and many other items. She just loved to know how all these
practical things worked. When the job was big, and she needed to call in the electrician
or the plumber, she would talk to them easily in their technical language. From Anna, I
was able to pick up much knowledge about a home and its insides.
The second characteristic that I want to give tribute to is that strength of determination
which Anna possessed. That Anna had great resolve is well known to me. As she was a
humble and private person, this character trait is only known to some people. Anna
always set specific and realistic goals for herself, which she would pursue with
determined effort and passion. Like her wish to use high-tech gadgets and computers
with ease and creativity. She would buy a computer, test out all the programs in it, shop
for all sorts of devices for it, and test them out herself. She ended up knowing about
computers almost as much as my 22 year old son, Matthew, which is a lot. Here is
another example. As a number of her acquaintances were Jewish, she really wanted to
learn all about the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. So she bought a whole
set of books on this topic and read it through. This is the same way that she tackled
various topics about Chinese history and culture, the history of the Chinese in Canada,
and so forth. Of course, I cannot skip mentioning her creation of our wondrous backyard
garden and her flower display in the sunroom of our house. Her many accomplishments
owed much to her determination, willpower, and self discipline. Of course, it helped that
Anna was also creative, talented, and capable.
Then in the last 4 years, Anna faced a dreaded life challenge that she had to stand up
to with great determination, and great courage; she was diagnosed with incurable
metastatic cancer. She dutifully went to see the doctors; she went for hundreds of blood
tests; she went for scans after scans; she went for liver biopsy; she went for surgery;
she went for radiation therapies; she went for chemotherapy after chemotherapy, and
endured one after another faithfully. Despite the fear of chemotherapy side effects and
of death, she was never fazed. Despite the dread, she accepted wholly the necessity of
the hardships and suffering that she had to bear. She was determined to do whatever
was necessary to give her the best chance at controlling the disease. She was not
willing to accept disease and death without making a stand against it. She prayed to
God every day, and she kept faith with God. Anna has never been a religious person.
But she believed in a God who is good, and she believed in being a good person. Hope

was ever present with Anna. She very much wanted to live; she loved life, and she was
too young to die. She had many dreams for her future and for that of her family. Hope
sustained her determination, and determination generated strength. Family and friends
always commented on how strong and how tough Anna was; all were kind and wished
or prayed that strength and courage would continue to help her struggle with the cancer.
Anna never gave up the dream of beating the cancer. She tried every chemotherapy,
along with Chinese medical therapies, until October, when there was no more to try. In
the meantime, her body was buckling under with more and more complications as the
assault of an increasingly aggressive cancer intensified, which now defied all attempts
to halt its attacks. Despite her deep desire for a different outcome, this fall, Anna was
fairly sure that her bodily life on earth was soon to be no more.
However, it was at this point that Anna, rather than giving up hope and giving in to
despair, shifted the focus of her hope of being alive on earth to that of being alive after
death. Thus, although feeling very sad that she would leave her loved ones, she was
also ready to depart from her earthly home, and she resolved to live on in the next
world. One way or another, she was determined to beat the cancer. The spectre of
death could not destroy her spirit of determination and hope. She continued to pray
more to God daily for guidance and help. About 1 and months ago, her good friend,
Heidi, came to pay a visit to Anna. They talked about her dying wishes. Anna
expressed her desire to have a United Church minister to conduct her funeral service.
Heidi kindly offered to help Anna realize that wish. Heidi also asked her if she would like
to be baptized by the minister. Anna agreed to be baptized, because she was
welcoming an affirmation of her hope of life after death, a life in Heaven. Such is the
strength of Annas spirit of hope and faith, which no terminal cancer could kill. Anna was
determined to live on, if not on earth, then in Heaven. She had found peace in accepting
that destiny. On December 17, the day of the last school final exams of her sons, Anna
left her earthly body.
It seems quite a coincidence that the end of Annas existence on earth should occur
near the time of year when the darkness of the day is at its longest and that henceforth
we will experience more and more light, and more and more hope. It is also seemingly
coincidental that Annas death should occur during the season of the year when there is
great celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace, and to Christians, the Son of God
who conquered death and gave humankind great hope. The symbolism of these in
connection with life and death, I cannot help but notice. Right now, I am sure that Anna
is very much alive, just in a different way, much closer to God than me. And she is also
very much alive in us, because she has touched all of us in different ways before she
left her earthly body. In closing, I like to share the following poem with you:

Journey's End, by Sharon Catley

Rest awhile my weary traveller,

your earthly journey is at end.
Say goodbye to those wholl mourn you:
acquaintence, family, friend.
Steadfast wife and noble mother,
all your duties are complete.
Your reward a new adventure,
take this gift and be at peace.
Leave behind the tears of loved ones,
lay your heavy burden down.
Cast aside your worn out body,
pain and suffering now begone.
Just ahead someone is waiting,
who has passed through heavens door.
Anticipating your arrival,
a celebration is in store.
Prepare to step beyond the curtain,
separating life from death.
Answers to all of lifes mysteries,
this and more you shall possess.
Thoughts of you will bring us comfort.
Youre in our hearts, you are not gone.
And in our time, well come to join you,
One last farewell and journey on.