A grandmother who continued to raise funds in a United Way walkathon even after she turned 100 died at age 107 last Thursday.
Ting Wan Mark, the oldest resident at the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care on McNicoll Ave. in east Toronto, was well known for her dedication to volunteer work within the community.
"Her passion to help was very much displayed with every community that she was involved in," said her grandson, Kai Mark.
"Being raised by a father who was a pastor guided her to love helping people, as it was part of her faith."
Dr. Joseph Wong, the founder of the Yee Hong homes in the GTA, has worked with Mark since 1983, when he inaugurated the United Way walkathon for the Chinese-Canadian community.
"At the age of 83, she went to Chinatown and knocked on the doors of friends, relatives, stores and encouraged everyone to donate to the United Way," Wong said.
Mark was born in China on Aug. 13, 1901.
Her life-long journey was full of volunteering activities in addition to helping the United Way, including fundraising for the Yee Hong centres, and for a number of hospitals and seniors groups. She married in China a year before her husband immigrated to Canada. At the time of his immigration, the Chinese Exclusion Act was enforced.
"My grandfather, John Mark, was one of the Chinese that paid the Head Tax to come to Canada in 1925," said her grandson. "At the time he was not allowed to bring his wife to the country and all those years she raised her two sons as a single mother."
During her years in Macau, Mark founded a primary school and it was named Ting Wan in her honour.
After more than 30 years of being apart from her husband, the Exclusion Act was lifted and she came to Canada in 1955 along with her two sons.
Once in Toronto, Mark decided to continue teaching and taught Chinese immigrants' children the language of their heritage.
But, the reunited couple's bliss didn't last long; Mark's husband died in 1972.
"After he passed away, she was heartbroken and sobbed many tears," wrote her daughter-in-law, Faith Mark, in her eulogy. "Her loss didn't keep her down for long, and soon after she transformed her suffering into power and helped those in need."
From that point, Mark became more active with United Way fundraising events, including the walkathon, as well as the building of the first Yee Hong nursing home.
"Now, there are four Yee Hong nursing homes in GTA that serve Canadian-South Asian seniors," Wong said. "All the four centres were built through fundraising."
In 1990, Mark had a stroke that left her paralyzed on her right side. She lost her ability to speak English, which she had learned as her second language.
"Before she had the stroke, she walked five kilometres every year to participate in the United Way's annual walkathon," Wong said. "She was the oldest participant in the walkathon almost every single time."
Even after her stroke, she continued her community work from a wheelchair.
Mark received many awards and recognition for being a model citizen, including the Ontario Senior Achievement Award and the Award of Honour, given by the United Way.
Her funeral will be held on Saturday at the Humphrey Funeral Home.
"Mark's spirit really touched a lot of people," Wong said.
