Pak Yuk Chan
陳栢育

Pak was born in the Taishanese village 浮月村 Floating Moon Village, in Guangdong, China. Having grown up in Taishan, he liked to reminisce about his rural childhood. There he rode on an ox to farm the rice paddies; trained cormorant birds to catch and release fish to him; and caught water fowl which he would then stuff into a multi-pocketed coat which he wore specifically so that his catch could be brought home for dinner. As a child, he was known to have a lively sense of humor and was reputed to be somewhat of a prankster. 

During his teenage years he moved to Hong Kong to live with his eldest sister and worked as clerk in a bookstore. When he emigrated to the United States in his twenties, he moved in with his second eldest sister who also provided him with his first job in the U. S., working in her laundry business. Eventually, he returned to Hong Kong, met and married Mo Hing Ng. Returning together to the U. S. they looked forward to starting a family of their own. It was during this period that he transitioned from the laundry business to operating a steam press in a garment factory.  Paula was born, then Paulina followed 6 years later. 

Pak was a very hands on dad. Although he worked a 4 pm to midnight shift, he always made sure to review homework assignments so that they were ready to be corrected by the girls in the morning before walking them to elementary school. He taught them that academics and doing your best were important.  As for life advice, Pak was fond of saying “everything in moderation,” a lesson that his girls took to heart.

He was also one for leading by example. His instilled a can-do independent attitude in his girls. When Paula had an idea for a bookcase with a drop leaf desk, he had the girls go with him to the hardware store, carry lumber back, and then worked with them to build it from scratch.  

He also had a sprit of adventure and did not let not learning how to drive deter him from traveling. He would book trips to Virginia to visit Paula and her husband in Charlottesville to go fruit picking, bringing home bushels of fresh peaches; visit Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian via Chinatown tour bus; and lastly, venture on a long road trip to Thousand Islands and Niagara Falls. 

Both girls have fond childhood memories of going to the park with him, playing paddle ball, walking to the library and coming home with a pile of books, and exploring New York City’s tourist attractions together, just to name a few. When the girls married and started families of their own, Pak put the same care and attention into creating fond childhood memories with his 7 grandchildren. Paula and her family loved the times when Gung-gung would fly out to Arizona for an extended stay. Paulina’s family, being in closer proximity, enjoyed dim sum in Flushing, Queens, bargain shopping at Amazing Savings, and going to Costco. 

In his early 40s, Pak was presented with the opportunity for another career change. This one launched his 25 year-long career as a computer operator at the Federal Reserve Bank. He loved his job and the friends he made there and worked many, many overtime hours. He liked to say that he grew in knowledge with the technology. He greatly enjoyed his career, understanding the effect of personal computers and even predicting in the future we would be able to watch TV one day on our watch or telephone. He loved using the latest gadgets and was especially tech savvy. He often employed .gifs when texting to give messages a personal and whimsical touch. 

He appreciated being sponsored through his job to take classes at Pace University and New York University. He enjoyed these learning opportunities afforded to him. He always remarked with amazement about the libraries in the United States where, he noted, that you can get any information and knowledge you want absolutely free! 

During the course of his lifetime, Pak touched the lives of many people. He will be remembered for his willingness to help family and friends. He often served as translator, accompanying newly arrived relatives who didn’t speak English to various appointments.

In his free time he loved to watch many different sports, including football, basketball, tennis, and wrestling. Although he didn’t play any sports, he kept active his whole entire life by walking and taking public transportation everywhere possible. For a while he was also a neighborhood fixture at the park in front of their apartment building. Daily he would be seen practicing tai chi on his own. On a few occasions he’d been approached by fellow park goers to teach them tai chi. He never accepted their requests, but neither did he ever discourage them from following along with him as he practiced. 

Although Pak was not baptized until 2022, being the supportive husband that he was, he attended mass regularly at St. Raymond’s Church for over 40 years. Finally, with a little nudge from St. Raymond’s pastor, Father Cruz, he attended religious education classes, where he was said to have excelled as a student. During this preparation for the sacrament of baptism, he further deepened his connection with the St. Raymond’s community, building connections amongst his fellow baptismal candidates. They affectionately referred to him as “Pakito.”

In July 2025 he was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. On August 24, 2025, at the age of 93, Pak passed away peacefully after his brave battle with this cancer.

Pak had a long and fulfilling life. He enjoyed his life to the fullest and left this world with no regrets, especially comforted by his Catholic faith. He made a difference and brought joy to so many.  Now we hold him in our hearts as we remember him when we engage in activities that brought him joy, including:

— Window shopping and finding good bargains;

— Getting together with family and friends for a bite to eat;

— Enjoying dim sum or a good buffet with family and friends;

— Bringing people their favorite foods;

— Watching and discussing sports, especially basketball, with his sibling.

Pak is survived by his wife Mo Hing Theresa Chan (née Ng), his two daughters — Paula Chan-Huang (James) and Paulina Chan-Icasiano (Eduardo), and his seven grandchildren — Zachary Huang, Alexander Huang, Rhiannon Huang, Ian Huang, Aidan Icasiano, Lorelei Huang and Liam Icasiano.

He is also survived by four of his siblings —  Don Chin [Sue Chin], Sit Yuk Chan [Siu Yuk Chen], Cheung Keung Chan [Yi Har Chia], and Chui Sue Chen [Ying Chi Moy]. He was predeceased by Mee Kwan Chan [Kwong Law], Chui Mee Moy [Sik Feng Moy], and Bo Lin Chen [survived by Ho Fong Chen]

Thank you Pak, beloved brother, husband, dad, grandpa, uncle, friend, and so much more, for enriching our lives with your presence. Rest in blessed peace.