懷念您，陳紹南先生

Mr. Tony Chan —
My Beloved Classmate,
“Neighbor” & Brother in Christ
敬悼陳紹南先生—
我親愛的同學，
「鄰舍」、主內弟兄！

— Rev. Ken Kam-Hoi Chan
（陳黔開牧師）

Mr. Tony Chan and I entered Primary 5 of the Diocesan Boys’ School in 1955. We befriended each other until Class Upper Six in 1964. We might not have met until our classmate Shabbir Barma and I visited him in the ward of True Light Home for the Aged on December 26, 2021.

Shabbir and I left Tony’s ward with a heavy heart, for although he stared at us, we were not certain whether the Parkinson’s Disease had prevented him from response. How different was he from before. He used to be an active, friendly and healthy teenager who would laugh and befriend with those around him. He was the Vice-captain of Sargent House (a system used by our School to allocate our students into five or six teams. His House even won the Drama Competition under his leadership. He was appointed a Prefect of our School while he was in Senior class.

Our classmates were deeply concerned for Tony and signed a get-well card to send it to him. Chan Wai Shing and others had wanted to visit him, but alas, on February 27, 2022, Tony left us to rest in the Bosom of our Heavenly Father.

As soon as Tony’s good friend, Mr. David Wong shared the sad news of Tony’s passing with our classmate Lister Chang, within minutes our WA group was filled with condolences from around the world. All of our classmates mourned for him. How we miss Tony’s friendliness and sense of humor during the years as we grew up together at DBS.

Another fond memory strikes me. During his school days, he and his parents lived in a flat next door to a Church. The young people in that Church used to befriend and joke with him, that he was just one step from God. I never could have imagined that after my university and seminary education, I was called to pastor that Church, the Grace Evangelical Free Church（播道會恩泉堂）, but Tony and his family had moved out before I took office.

During the preparation of his funeral, I was comforted by the news that Tony had attended a Bible Study Group hosted by Mrs. Jennie Lee（李梅以菁女士）, and that he was mentored by Mr. Victor Choy（蔡旭安先生）. I rejoiced for Mr. Choy and Bonnie Kwan Huo（霍關天穎女士）sharing with me the pictures of Tony’s Baptism on Nov. 27, 2018 at the HK country Club. As Christ promises in John 3:16 and 5:24：

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (3:16)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (5:24)

We have a proverb in Chinese which says “when a person holds much virtue, the same would have many neighbors or friends” (德不孤 , 必有鄰). I was surprised to see plenty of photographs, taken of Tony with his many friends, especially Christian friends who witnessed his study of the Scriptures, Christian dignitaries like Rev. Lawrence Chu (朱亮基牧師), Mr. & Mrs. Victor Choy (蔡旭安、王月卿伉儷) , Ms. Bonnie Kwan Huo, and Prof. Leung Yuen Sang (梁元生教授）. Other friends include members from the Rho Psi Fraternity, such as, Mr. David Wong, Mr. Richard Wong, Mrs. Portia Yung (翁葉麗萍女士), Mr. Edmund Wong, Mr. Ng Tung Wing (伍東榮先生), Dr. Hsieh Cheung Philip (謝翔醫生), and too many to mention. What a delight to learn of Tony’s involvement in the Y’s Men’s Club（聯青社）and Hok Hoi Library (學海書樓) as well. From these close friends, I learn that Tony comes from a distinguished family, he is the grandson of 陳百陶先生, his father was privileged to study in the U.S., and himself, an architect, trained both in N. America and Hong Kong. It comforts me further that his relatives, Mr. Henry Chu from Chicago, Mr. David Chan from San Jose and Mrs. Jennie Lee from Hong Kong have together written Tony’s life history. Blessed be to his memory! We believers look forward to be united with him upon Christ return! Not only with Tony, but with all who accept Christ as Lord and Savior, to receive His Redemption and promise of eternal life!

Tony Siu Nam Chan
(September 22, 1944 – February 27, 2022)

Tony was born on the campus of Lingnan University in Guangzhou, China. As the youngest son of six children, he came to Hong Kong with all the other members of the family in 1946 when he was only two years old. He entered the Primary School of Diocesan Boys ‘ School, graduated in 1957 and continued to study in the same senior school from Form One to Form Six.

He matriculated in Hong Kong University in 1964 and studied architecture there for one year. Given an opportunity he decided to go abroad and was admitted to the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg in Canada. He graduated in 1970 with a degree of Bachelor of Architecture just a few months after the death of his mother. He retumed back to Hong Kong and started working first with the Tings & Associates and next with Eric Cumine Associates.

After he passed the RIBA examination, he became an authorized architect in Hong Kong. Tony worked for Goodyear Estates Ltd. (嘉年地產) as chief architect for one year and eventually started his own practice, Z.G. Associates, with his office at the Man Yee Building at Queen’s Road Central. Later, he moved his office to Stanley Street where he had a prosperous business. As an architect, he was involved with major projects such as the Big Buddha, YWCA camp, Pokfulam PHAB Centre, Harbour City, HK Times Square, and many office buildings. Tony was one of the directors at the Hong Kong office of a leading Canadian architecture practice Zeidler Architecture Inc. for several years.
He was also an active member of the Hong Kong Country Club, the Y’s Men’s Club of Hong Kong (He was elected Y’s Men International Southeast Asia Regional Director in 1990), the Canadian University Association and the local Chapter of the Rho Psi Fraternity. He had provided voluntary services to all those organizations.

For twenty years Tony was an active member of the Hok Hoi Library (學海書樓). He served as Chairman of the Board from 2010-2014 and Treasurer in previous years. During his tenure as Chairman, he was instrumental in restructuring the library’s finance & investments, in addition to leading the digitization cooperation of the Hok Hoi Collection between the Hong Kong Public Library and the Hok Hoi Library at Hong Kong Central Library. He was the Chief Editor of the book titled 90 years of Hok Hoi Library.

Tony was passionate about preserving the Chan Family arts, portraits and calligraphy from his grandfather and father for future generations. He renovated the ancestral home designed and built by his father in the 1930’s at Guangzhou, aka ” The Blue Heaven”, which became a key landmark in the Dongshan area. In 2006, Tony organized a major family reunion after the final graveyard construction of Grandfather Chan Pa Tao, a famous scholar who served under the Ching emperor. He wrote a book in 1997 titled From Generation to Generation about his grandfather’s influence and dedication to Chinese heritage.

He travelled extensively around the world visiting places such as Europe, South America, United States, Southeast Asia, and Australia. History, geography, food and culture were a joy in his life. Also, Tony thoroughly enjoyed music from playing the piano, singing and ballroom dancing. In his younger days he loved to swim, golf, and play tennis.

On November 27, 2016 Tony was baptized as a Christian. However he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017. Tony moved from his flat of 36 years in Tai Hang Road to an apartment in 2018. In late 2019 his physical health deteriorated significantly after breaking his hip in a fall and he spent considerable time in the hospital ICU. He was later transferred to the True Light Home for the Aged in May 2021. While he physically stabilized to a degree his mental condition worsened. He was wonderfully cared for by friends until his death.

相中人陳伯陶是Tony 的祖父。

廣州 陳家祠 January 2017

Mr. Tony Chan 與素友社社友合照

以上照片乃陳绍南先生(後行左起第4位）於1958年與拔萃男校中一部份同學與班主任合照

唉！「千古艱難惟一死」，今紹南素友鶴駕西歸，往生極樂，「此心安處」也！拙作原文是漢語，今試譯成英語，望通陰陽界，存歿無礙焉！，所謂「臨別殷勤重寄詞」，其詞曰：

大雅今搖落
紹南竟不留
緬懷素友情
後會再難求

Falls our big brother
Tony vanishes into air
Rho Psi Fraternity thrive
See you on the other side

陳紹南素友千古

敬陳哀永別
輓歌空悲切
紹述伯陶願
南遷以明節
素行美負笈
友誼無乏缺
千嶂木魚峯（註一）
古大佛緣結（註二）

伍東榮偕眷仝敬輓

註一：大嶼山天壇大
佛座落於此
註二： 陳紹南及李世
能二位素友原
參與早期以鋼
筋混凝土作主
要材料之設計

伍東榮先生

照片中Tony 左邊是他的姐姐 Evan。 友邊是戚永康先生伉儷。

1960 Playing tennis with classmates on Saturday mornings

1962 謝師宴

1963 Group Photo with Classmates

1964 Vice- Captain of Sargent House. Winner of inter-house Drama competition.

1964 School Prefect

Tony Chan with alumni of Lingnan 嶺南校友 in May 2015

Tony Chan with Y’sMen’s Club members and Prof. and Mrs. Charles K. Kao in 2010

Tony Chan with Rho Psi Fraternity friends at Peter and Portia Yung’s son Jimmy’s wedding in 2014

I played tennis with Tony occasionally in the 70’s when he was a member at the Kowloon Tong Club.
Tony was an excellent tennis player and a kind gentleman.
RIP, Tony.
Bill Lam DBS ’60.

Where does our Brother Tony falls?
Into the bosom of the Mighty All.
The cares and troubles gone !
Rho Psi spirit unites us evermore.

Mr. Edmund Wong

Fall,our Brother
Tony, into God’s embrace.
Rho Psi Spirit, thrive to
unite us all,on the heavenly gate.

My memory of a good friend, Mr Tony Chan Siu Nam

Many decades ago, I joined the Rho Psi Fraternity.
There, I meet many a new friends.
They are all gentlemen of standings. Graduates from various universities and Colleges. Of many trades and professions.
It was there that Tony was introduced to me.
After conversing with him several times, it dawned on me that I have had the chance to know an extraordinary person.
He was always so gently mannered that the impression of an old-time scholar came to mind. Unusual, but later on, I was told that’s from his parental influence. His father was a old school scholar !
He oozes an air I found in none.
Never a hush word. Nothing bothers him. An easy going one that fits so well, 素友。
I was worried when he sustained a hip injury, and as operation was not an opinion, his condition would not be improved for him to be ambulated.
A definite setback for full recovery.
It’s saddening to have him so defenceless at this Covid19 serge.
The consolation is that, Tony now suffers no more, and rest well with his ancestry.

Hsieh, Philip Cheung

秋風起，三蛇肥。每年此際必甚懷念Tony在鄉村俱樂部為素友們準備的蛇宴。大家都吃得興高彩烈十分盡興，每當酒酣耳熱有時更取笑Tony情史多多，生活多姿多彩，只見他都是一笑置之，從不生氣真君子也。此乃素友們的交往心態，大家每月聚首，高談濶論，雖然意見不同，仍能和而共處。現今縱使秋風再起，三蛇更肥，可惜斯人己渺，蛇宴滋味只能永留心中。悼紹南素友。

Mrs. Portia Yung
(翁葉麗萍女士）

He travelled the world

He enjoyed outdoors & field trips

He’s fascinated by good designs

An eye for beautiful paintings

A frequent museum visitor

Appreciated heritage buildings

A deep passion in Chinese culture

Tony led a happy & culturally enriched life, almost to his last years. He was truly a modern Renaissance man.

I remember Tony always got a point for the House whenever he finished within 13 seconds for a 100 meters dash. He could always make it in the inter-house athletic meet.

Tony Chan and I, apart from our nine years together at DBS, had two extra years at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. I was in my second year in the BA program when he transferred from HKU to our School of Architecture. For two years we were residents of University College and we saw each other frequently and did the usual things college students do such as girl goggling as well as talking deep into the early hours of the night. As all architecture students do, I suppose, he was always in a rush to finish his projects to catch the deadline and I was often roped in to help him with lettering or line drawing, etc, even when I had to prepare for my own finals. After my BA I left U of M for the University of London for my MA at the School of Oriental and African Studies and Tony and I lost touch, though I heard that he went back to HKU to finish his degree.

But what I remember most about Tony was his prowess as an actor in inter-house and inter-school drama competitionsI – we were both in Sargent House. I recall especially in our sixth form years when he took the protagonist role of Thomas a Becket in T S Elliot’s play “Murder in the Cathedral”. He certainly got the limelight. It was a pity that he did not carry on with his acting skill thereafter.

Rev. Pang Wing On on March 10, 2022

From members of Y’s Men’s Club of Victoria et al.
維多利亞聯青社 社友敬輓

This is the old house of Tony’s grandparents in Guangzhou. He reclaimed it and personally do it up, and keep it for his personal use until he was no longer able to travel there. He like it so much that he use this picture as the cover of his personal name card.

Dear Tony,

We have been classmates since DPS.
Your smile and kind heart will always be in my memory. Rest In Peace till we meet again!

Andrew Hua

I met Tony at Jennie Lee’s weekly Bible study in Central. Tony was a regular attendee from 2014-2018. My memory of Tony is that he is friendly and hospitable. He is an intelligent man and he is always enthusiastic about Chinese Culture, especially Chinese masters’ paintings and poems.

I had spent some personal time with Tony in order to get to know him better and share the word of God with him. Once I spent a whole day with Tony in his home, we had good fellowship and he talked about his life, career, and his parents. We also talked about the redemption of Jesus Christ, salvation and eternity.

By the grace of God, in 2016 Tony received Jesus as his Saviour and Lord. He wanted to be baptised by me though I had encouraged him to have baptism in a church. He wanted to be baptised on the beach by the HK Country Club. It was November and some people were afraid the water would be too cold, but strangely, we both had not felt the coldness of the water. Tony then hosted a feast with other Christian brothers and sisters where he gave his testimony.

I had a stroke in 2018 and I stopped leading the Bible Study group. But I had a few times of lunch fellowship with Tony. After Tony’s accident, my wife Elinna, visited him a few times in the hospital to encourage him. May grace and peace be with Tony in Jesus Christ.

Victor Choy

Top left corner: Words show that Mr. Tony Chan was baptized on Nov. 27, 2016
at the HK Country Club.
Mr. Victor Choy who led the Bible Study baptized him.

曾幾何時，永懷同學 Tony C 🌺

張作鑫 (拔萃男校同學)

By my sister-in-law of DGS: He (Tony Chan) looks so much like 陳老師。i spent every Sat for one yr studying Chinese with 陳老師 at his kln city home. i needed to pass Chinese yr one, a pre-requisite subject bef i can graduate fr hk baptist college (now hkb univ). In 老師’s home, i saw many ‘antiques’, calligraphy by Tony’s granddad. bef my first lesson, 老師told me that his father was a 探花 and explained is the second runner-up of scholar system. 老師said 小李飛刀的李尋歡都係探花啊。hahaha, 老師 got me to understand the scholar titles. bcos 羅文sang the drama’s title song, 老師話佢鍾意聽佢唱歌。KK Tam got me two tickets to treat 陳老師 to RT’s concert at浸會大學的AC hall 大堂中央。老師was elated and thoroughly enjoyed the show. as for Tony, i only rmb three things… i saw a piano in his home n he asked if i play piano. second, we one time visited his ladyhill apt eons yrs ago (bef i emigrated here). Lastly, that Tony dated my classmate! 😛 💐RIP🪦Tony 哥

Tong (Tong Kee Choi’s sister-in-law)

As far as I remember, Tony Chan Siu Nam and I were in the same class in DBS for seven years, from P5A (1955-56) to F5A (1961-62). From boyhood to adolescence, Tony gradually developed a gentle and friendly disposition, yet he could be flamboyant at times, for instance, while playing tennis, his favourite sport (re photo of tennis players in Tony’s memorial link by Whitelily). After DBS, we met only once, by chance, sometime in the seventies. I remember we both agreed then, in a somewhat high-spirited manner, that we should meet regularly, to drink to our friendship and old time. Regrettably, our agreement had not materialized, and now it never would in this world. However, I saw him exercise his eloquence in two subsequent occasions. Sometime in the eighties, I was among the audience when he gave a speech as a director of the Y’s Men’s Club (HK) in regard to a donation of the Club to some schools in Hong Kong. Sometime after the turn of the millennium, I watched him speak on TV as the chairman of the owners commttee of an estate in Tai Hang Road . On all three occasions, he impressed me with his enthusiasm and eloquence. In short, I am certain that Tony had lived a good life.
Finally, I would like to emphasize that Tony was one of us. He will be remembered. May he rest in peace.

Chan Wai Shing
9 April 2022

While we are saddened by Tony’s passing, we rejoice to know that he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and was baptized on Nov 27, 2016 as shown on the eMemorial page.

Death is the end of our toil and labor in this world and our soul going to be with Christ awaiting for a new resurrected body upon His second coming.

Tony can for sure echo what Job said (Job 19:25- 27):

25 I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

With Easter just around the corner, may the promises given to us in the Bible bring us hope and assurance in our present chaotic world!

William Sun

An Exemplary Y’s Man

In 1973, the young, aspiring architect and writer Tony Chan was inducted into the Y’s Men’s Club of Hong Kong. Well-liked by fellow members, he was recruited to the Board of Directors shortly after the Club celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1982. His intelligence, energy, charm and good sense earned him the recognition he deserved, leading to his assuming the role of the Club’s President in 1984. He performed that role so well that the members elected him for another year!

During his presidency at the Club, in 1985 Hong Kong hosted the 11^th Asia Area Convention of Y’s Men International. As a member of the Host Committee, he took an essential role in the Convention. His performance in the social events, notably as the Master of Ceremony at the dinners, simply set a higher standard. 

Being the President of the Club, he attended many of the meetings and activities at the Y’s Men International’s Hong Kong District Council. Naturally recognized there as a desirable candidate for leadership, he was elected to be the District Governor in 1986, right after he stepped down as the Club’s President. At the District Council, his services effectively enhanced administration as well as inter-Club connections, which led the Y’s International to give him the Elmer Crowe Award in recognition of his achievements. Like the Club, the District Council appreciated his ability, talent and performance so much that they had him serve as the District Governor for a second term.

In 1988, he was among the several members of the Club who helped the charter of another Y’s Men’s Club – the Y’s Men’s Club of Island South. Being both advisor and task undertaker, he was instrumental to setting up a solid foundation for that Club, which has over the years done much to enable the Club’s members to enjoy fellowship and service in the Y’s Movement together.

In 1990, he was elected to a higher post in the Y’s Movement – the Southeast Asia Regional Director. In that capacity, he promoted and improved the operation of the Y’s Movement in the Southeast Asia Region, with an obvious measure of success.

He continued his devotion and dedication to the Club as he answered popular demand to assume the President position again in 1996. Like before, he performed so well as that some of us secretly wanted him to continue for a term or two more!

2000 saw Hong Kong making history as it proudly hosted the Y’s Men International’s 64^th International Convention, which had a sizable attendance of over 1,000 from all over the world, and Tony featured prominently in it. He assumed his best role – the Chef Marshall – and was the master facilitator that effectively and efficiently coordinated the people and the flow of events, immensely contributing to the tremendous success of the International Convention.   

Into the Millennium, Tony continued to be a dedicated Y’s Man. Apart from being a regular participant in the Club’s luncheon and Board meetings and other activities, he undertook much tasks in organization, editing the commemorative books of the Club for its 75^th Anniversary in 2007 and 80^th Anniversary in 2012. 

In recognition of his invaluable service to the Club, he was elected an Honoury Member at both the Y’s Men’s Club of Hong Kong and the Y’s Men’s Club Island South.

Apart from our Club, he kindly provided voluntary services to quite a few organizations – the Country Club, 學海書樓 and Chinese YMCA spring to mind – but he always regarded the Club and its members dear to his heart. He was a good friend to many of us, having shared moments of joy with us in countless fellowship gatherings in and out of the Club and within and without Hong Kong. He was always admirably decent, diligent, passionate, wise and caring to his friends.

In the Club’s 75^th Anniversary book, he cited from the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”.

Everybody who knew him could not miss that with all his strength, power and will, he was meek indeed.  

I know I speak on behalf of all members of the Y’s Men’s Club of Hong Kong that our fond memories of Tony, the exemplary Y’s Man, will never wane.

Rest in peace in Heaven, Tony.

Kenneth Sit

悼念摯友陳紹南先生Mr Tony Chan

我與陳紹南Tony Chan 相識於學生年代 ，他的姐姐是我中學的好同窗，彼此惺惺相識，交情篤深，及後Tony中學畢業往加拿大升學，獲取了Manitoba University土木工程系銜頭，返港工作時住淺水灣。我與丈夫李韶及女兒Karen由美國回港，住淺水灣大廈,離Tony住宅不遠，他站在草地上能大家揮手。Tony很多時前來相聚。
於1973李韶加入YMCA的聯青社：The Y’s Men’s Club of HK。數月後則介紹Tony入會。Tony為人大方丶幽默丶慷慨，吸引了許多朋友。
他非常敬畏上帝，經常出席我們每星期六下午的聖經班，蒙上主感動下，於2016年11月在好友們的見證下，邀請 Mr Victor Choy導師，在HK Country Club 海灘為他個人決志浸禮，身體力行承認耶穌基督是救主。
如今他已完成世間路程，安息主懷 ， 享受永生福樂。雖然大家都好不捨，但明白到Tony已全然承傳主愛，讓我們默默送上祝福！

李梅以菁致意

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送別陳紹南素友有感

清明時節倍傷神
哥連臣角送友人
聯青社傳公風義
素友社承禮義仁
悵望靈堂多摰友
承先啟後枉煩頻
紹南今歸道山去
可能隨例作埃塵

弟東榮偕眷仝敬上