James Eng

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of James Eng on October 29, 2020 at the age of 89. He was a devoted and loving husband to Bor Gee for 63 wonderful years. Dedicated and caring Dad of Yvonne (Robin), Eva (Harry), Gary, Karen (Finn), Jean (John) and beloved Grandpa to Alexandra, Andreas, Francis, Alex and Luke. 

James lived an incredibly rich and colourful life. He loved to tell stories from his childhood and the subsequent hardships and mishaps that shaped his life and which he overcame. We will miss these stories, and carry them with us in our memories. 

He was born in China, lived through the Japanese occupation and as a young man immigrated to Canada with no knowledge of English. He was a man of quiet stoicism, and worked extremely hard after arriving in Canada in 1953 to build a life for his family, beginning in Hudson's Bay and eventually settling in Ottawa in 1960. He supported his growing family here in Canada as well as his parents and his 7 siblings in Hong Kong, which drove him to work tirelessly. He shouldered this heavy responsibility with dignity and composure. 

Over the years, he was a mechanic, cook, restaurant owner, and farmer, and eventually saved up enough to venture into real estate.   He was blessed with plenty of natural talent and curiosity and was good at fixing pretty much anything. His wife affectionally nicknamed him Mr. Fix-it. A devout Christian, he was kind, gentle, easy going and had a great sense of humour. But most importantly to him, he always wanted to do right by his family and especially his wife, who was the love of his life. He was and is an example to us all. We love you and will miss you greatly. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada or your local Alzheimer’s charity.