It is with great sadness that I write a small posting about my fifth aunt, Grace Chang Manson of Canada. I was too young to know her but when she graduated and came to teach in Sibu she often visited my parents. She was Dean of the Methodist Secondary School and was very well respected by all. My Grandfather was most proud of her. My late grandmother was passed away not long after she was born would have been very proud because she was one of the first wives/mothers in Sibu to have been educated in English, in Singapore.
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Part of her obituary :
She was born in Sibu, Sarawak in 1928 She was the youngest child and was very well loved. My grandfather built up a successful business in Sibu and also raised a very big family.
After graduating from Methodist run Yuk Ing Girls' School in Sibu, she went to Singapore for training at the Teacher's College, just after WWII. She taught for a few years before traveling by freighter to the US. She completed her B.A. and M.A in special education and psychology in Missouri.
Grace was the first family member to live beyond Malaysia and become a role model for her younger family members. A fellow graduate student encouraged her to immigrate to Saskatoon, circa 1960, and she was soon hired by Dr. Fred McKinnon (Director of Special Education, Saskatoon School Board). For 25 years Grace visited Public Schools to assess the abilities of children needing special attention, and to recommend special courses for them. She loved her job and was remembered and enjoyed by hundreds of children.
In January, 1968 Alan Manson immigrated to Canada, becoming a Professor of Physics (Solar and Atmosphere Science) at the U of S. He met Grace at the Riverside Tennis Club in May of that year. They fell in love and were married at Knox United Church in December, 1969. Common interests are music, the arts, tennis, lake and riverside picnics, spiritual searching and traveling/visiting family in New Zealand and Malaysia/Singapore. Alan became Emeritus Professor in July 2008 to pursue his research. Grace and Alan hoped to spend the winter of 2008/09 in their retirement home in Victoria. However, Grace's weakened health (she had been diagnosed with Vascular Dementia in 1992) caused them to cancel those plans. However Grace continued to attend the wonderful Daily Respite Care at Luther Heights (Alexandra Ave.). Home Care of the Saskatoon Health Region, and also Nightingale/Bayshore Home Health, provided increasing and wonderful bed-care for Grace in the central Living Room of their Saskatoon home during 2010 and 2011. Grace remained strong and beautiful in body and spirit, happy and peaceful despite losing her speech and the ability to swallow food.
Her last week (December 12-18) was very good; she, Alan and the Care Aids enjoyed reading her books (Winnie the Pooh, and Clifford), favourite programs from the Tree House on her new large Xmas TV, Xmas Carols from the TVmusic Channels, her massage-acupuncture, and moving each day to her Power-Chair in the sun by the large window. Everyone expected and hoped for a Happy Xmas and New Year together. It was not to be ... she died in her sleep Monday morning, December 19, before Alan and the Aids could greet her, and look again into her deep, beautiful and sparkling eyes.
A Funeral Service was held on Thursday, December 22 at the Saskatoon Funeral Home: it was led by the Reverend Ivan Wilson, who was the Minister at Knox United Church when Grace and Alan were still members; guests were from Luther Heights, Home Care, and Bayshore, along with Alan's colleagues from Physics and the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies, UofS. Revenues from the Estate of Grace and Alan will eventually be shared with Luther's Daily Respite Care, Grace Westminster Church and ISAS-UofS.
Published in The Saskatoon StarPhoenix on January 6, 2012
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