Ada Kim, age 89 of Vancouver, passed away on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. She was born on January 10, 1930 in Harbin, Manchuria (now China) to the late Fyodor and Zinaida Park. She is predeceased by her brother, Leo.
Ada had a rich and varied education which included a Russian nanny, a Chinese amah, a French Catholic convent school in Tientsin where the nuns taught in English, a Japanese elementary school where she had to learn Japanese, and the prestigious Ewha Girls' High School in Seoul, Korea. A talented linguist, she picked up languages easily and was especially fluent in Russian (her first language), English, and Korean. Just before the outbreak of the Korean War, and owing to her impressive oratorical skills in English, Ada was chosen as a student representative and gave a welcoming speech to a visiting U.N. delegation at Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul. Ada sometimes reminisced about a school production of The Merchant of Venice where she played the role of Portia, and she could still recite some lines:
“The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven”
During the Korean War, which began in 1950, Ada worked briefly as a translator for the American military (surprising them with her facility in Russian) before she became a secretary in their Publications department. It was there that she met her beloved late husband of 48 years, Max. "One day I had to borrow some ink from Max and later returned the bottle to him. Unknowingly, I didn't close the lid tightly and he ended up spilling ink on his pants. I was so embarrassed and didn't know what to say. After that, I tried to avoid him. But maybe that's what drew his attention to me."
After the war Ada worked for an American trading company and in 1956, she and Max got married. Always adventurous, the couple decided to go further afield and secure a better life for their young family. In 1968, they arrived in Edmonton and headed to Fort McMurray: "As soon as we left the city, we found ourselves in the wilderness and I was looking at the tall pine trees stretching all along the lonely road. It was awesome and beautiful. So, this is Canada, I thought. And I loved it....it was a new experience for us, living in a trailer, the winter festival, dog sleigh races, even the weather—below 60 was something we had to get used to."
A year later, Ada and Max and their three children moved to Vancouver. There, in addition to her busy schedule working full-time as a bank secretary, Ada enjoyed time with family and friends. She was an accomplished pianist, and loved reading, crossword puzzles, knitting, and baking. Ada also loved the outdoors and she and Max enjoyed many hiking and camping trips throughout BC, Alberta, and the American west coast. She often talked about the delights of their post-retirement road trip to Alaska where they camped under the stars, and hiked for miles. In her last years, Ada was still determined to move, even if it meant with the aid of a walker, and would go out every day to visit nearby stores, the bank, and a Japanese restaurant where she liked to have her lunch. Her fellow residents at her assisted living facility would often remark upon how Ada was always walking.
Ada will be lovingly remembered by her children, Peter (Geraldine Ty), Kyong-ae (Daniel McLeod), and Camie (Fraser Easton). She was devoted to her grandchildren, Jonathan, Natasha, Riam, Vanessa, Henry, and Zina. She is survived by her sisters, Nina Kim, of Detroit, Ella Kim, of Toronto, and Mijae Park, of New York City.
The family wishes to thank all those who cared for Ada during her last days at Banfield Pavilion.
A service to honour Ada's memory and celebrate her life will be held at the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 4:30 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the charity of your choice.