May 21, 2020
Anne Lai Kuen Mah was born in Guangdong province, China, the youngest of five children. Originally from the Canton area, Anne came to Canada in 1960 when she married Ming Kee Mah.
Initially, Anne Lai Kuen worked at her brother-in-law's restaurant in Westlock, AB, where she and Ming Kee lived for two years and had their first child in 1962. Two years later in 1964, they moved west and found Prince Rupert, BC. In 1965, the couple would sponsor her own mother to Canada. Prince Rupert became home and after gaining more experience, she was the driving force for buying Macey's Restaurant in 1974 and established it as the town's iconic coffee shop for the next twenty-four years. She also became an active member of the Prince Rupert Baptist Church during that time.
Anne and her husband had their first child, Debi, in 1962, their second, Don, in 1966, and their third, Rick, in 1968. Upon retirement, Anne and her husband relocated to Vancouver, BC, to be closer to their children and grand- children. During this time she got involved with the Chinese congregation of the Salvation Army Church Tyne and 49th. Anne also loved gardening - sharing that love with her grandchildren - and meticulously tended her backyard vegetable garden into her eighties.
In 2020, she and her husband celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Anne Lai Kuen was among the wave of Chinese immigrants from the Pearl delta region of China, and she epitomized hard-work and being all that one can be in the country she would spend the rest of her life in. She is survived by her husband, her children, a son-in-law Mike, a daughter-in-law Bernadette, and her grandchildren: Brandon, Christian, Bodhi, Rian, and Eli. Our 86 year-old beautiful, dear, and kind mother will be missed. A private service is being held at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Burnaby BC, on May 30th, where Anne will be laid to rest in the courtyard.
A public visitation is taking place at the Forest Lawn Chapel building in Burnaby, 3789 Royal Oak Avenue, on Friday, May 29, 2020 from 5pm-7pm.