Neil Nobuo Matsuo

Neil Nobuo Matsuo November 17, 1943-October 24, 2013 Neil passed away peacefully at the age of 69 surrounded by his loving family. He recently celebrated his 7 year anniversary since receiving a lung transplant after he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. This January he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and courageously battled this disease with dignity and a positive attitude. Neil was born in Grand Forks, BC and grew up in Port Edward before settling in Richmond. He was a loving and supportive husband and father. He will be greatly missed by Diane (née Matsuda), his wife of 45 years, daughters Michelle, Tracy (Sébastien), and Corey (Derek). He is also survived by his siblings Yoshiko (John), Seiji (Sachiye), Ken (Akiko), Masako (Bill), Peggy (Norman), Hisao (Lorraine), and David. He will be remembered by many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. He was predeceased by his parents Kametaro and Shizue, and nephew David. Neil was an accountant with Ocean Construction Supplies/Lehigh Cement for 41 years where he made many lifelong friends. He enjoyed playing hockey, golf, running, and Bikram yoga. A special thanks to his brother Hisao, the Morishita family (Mary, Steve, Kim and Scott), Dr. Bob Levy and the BC lung transplant team, Dr. John Yee, Dr. Jennifer Wilson, Dr. Scott Garrison, the Vancouver Coastal Health Support workers, and Nurse Next Door for providing Neil with the best care. A memorial service will take place on Sunday, November 10th at 2pm at the Steveston Buddhist Church. In lieu of flowers and koden, donations can be made to the Transplant Research Foundation of BC at www.trfbc.org or to the VGH foundation at vghfoundation.ca.