Peter Chew

CHEW, Peter Peter Chew passed away, peacefully, in Victoria on February 4th, with his children at his bedside, and his favourite singer, Nat King Cole crooning "Unforgettable" in the background. Throughout his 97 years he was his own man-- beating the odds, defeating stereotypes, and living a life of dignity, integrity, sacrifice and devotion to family. He was born in a very different kind of Canada in 1923, and so, when his father died young, his mother took him and his siblings back to China, where he survived hunger and malaria, fought the occupying Japanese army, became a journalist, and developed his lifelong belief in the power of self. Upon returning to Canada he chose to break new ground for a Chinese, insisting on his place in mainstream society and raising a family of citizens of the world, as he called us. He was a wonderful father and role model and will be forever missed by his 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Deep gratitude to the staff of Somerset House, the place he called home for the past 9 years, and to the community of Victoria where he and our mother spent the happiest years of their lives