Esmond Yick Fung Shum
elevated ND2Wu December 26, 1960 ~ October 24, 2026
elevated ND2Wu Visitation
Saturday, October 31, 2026 from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
elevated ND2Wu Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
211 Langstaff Road East Thornhill, Ontario L3T 3Z6
elevated ND2Wu Funeral Mass
Saturday, October 31, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.
elevated ND2Wu Chapel of St. Joseph – located within Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
elevated ND2Wu Private Cremation
elevated ND2Wu God called Esmond Yick Fung Shum peacefully on October 24, 2026 at the age of 65. He will be forever missed by his loving wife Wendy.
elevated ND2Wu Cherished by his dear children Casey (Colin) and Michelle. Adored grandfather to Mila and Kaya, beloved son to Peggy; and loved by his furry companion Izzy.
elevated ND2Wu He will always be remembered by his brother David (Grace), sister-in-law Joanna, aunt Lee Gim (Edmund), cousins Ning (Pak Hong), Peter (Jacqueline) and Kenny (Brenda), his many other cousins and nieces and nephews.
elevated ND2Wu Esmond is now reunited in Heaven with his father Joseph; brother Kelvin and furry companion Sushi.
elevated ND2Wu He will forever be treasured, deeply missed, and lovingly remembered by his family, relatives, and friends.
elevated ND2Wu Flowers in Esmond’s memory may be ordered through https://www.queensflowers.ca/sympathy-and-funeral. His family is deeply grateful for the love, kindness, and support shown during this difficult time.
I will always cherish the school life we shared back in high school, especially the fun and challenges of our scout activities. May you rest in peace.
Dear Wendy,
please accept our warmest condolences. We are deeply sorry for your loss.
When I think of Esmond, I remember both his adventurous spirit and his deep sense of responsibility towards his family.
Our time as exchange students in New York in the 1980s was an adventure that helped shape who we became. Esmond found and rented a room for me on Mott Street in Chinatown. With shared accommodation and police sirens sounding every night, it sometimes felt like living in a crime movie. Some tenants even assumed we were undocumented immigrants and wondered why we spoke such fluent English!
While studying at NYU’s downtown campus, we would walk between the immense World Trade Center towers to reach the subway. I associated those towers with King Kong, yet there we were, passing between them on our everyday journey. The subway itself felt like another movie set, with people from every walk of life, unexpected encounters, and sometimes even fights.
Towards the latter part of our New York adventure, we moved to Queens, near the old World’s Fair grounds, with their enormous globe and distinctive observation towers. Years afterwards, seeing those familiar landmarks in Men in Black brought back memories of our own adventures there.
I was especially happy to see that Esmond treasured those NYU memories too. A few years ago, he revisited those familiar places and shared photos of the World’s Fair site in our CUMBA WhatsApp group. Seeing his photographs brought me straight back to the days we had shared.
Those experiences taught us to be more adventurous and more willing to face the unfamiliar. For me, their influence lasted long afterwards, shaping my personality and deepening my love of movies. Thank you, Esmond, for accompanying me through those unforgettable, real-life movie experiences.
Our paths later crossed again in Toronto, where we enjoyed another memorable chapter of our lives. After those happy years, Clara and I saw the opportunities emerging from China’s reform and opening-up and decided to return to Hong Kong to try our luck. Esmond had originally planned to return with us, but I still vividly remember standing outside your Toronto home when he shared the happy news of your pregnancy and told us he had decided to stay in Canada to build a stable life for your growing family.
That moment has always stayed with me. The friend who so readily embraced adventure was equally ready to take a different route when his family’s future was involved. His adventurous spirit was still there, but your security and the family’s well-being came first.
During one of our subsequent visits to Toronto, Esmond spoke to us about the uncertainty surrounding his health. Knowing how seriously he took his responsibilities, we could appreciate how heavily that uncertainty must have weighed on him as he tried to do the best for his family. Alongside the painful losses of his father and brother, he had much to carry. We could not fully know the weight of it, but we felt deeply for him.
I am grateful that we had the chance to meet again in Toronto a few years ago and catch up on life. It was lovely to hear about your grown-up daughters and his enjoyment of his pets. More recently, I was delighted to learn that he had become a grandfather too. I am glad he had those precious joys in his life.
I will remember Esmond with great affection—as the friend who helped me discover a more adventurous side of myself, and as a loving husband and father whose devotion to his family guided his most important choices.
Wendy, our thoughts are with you and your family. Esmond will be deeply missed and warmly remembered.
With heartfelt sympathy,
Patrick and Clara
October 27, 2026
Dear Wendy & family, I am very sorry to learn about the loss of Esmond. Please accept my condolences. In fact, Esmond, Patrick and I moved out from Mott Street to Queens together during our NYU exchange. We lived in a basement and experienced a lot during that few months. When he re-visited the place a couple of years ago, I tried to dig out my old memory to help. Great that he found it eventually. He treasured those years, same as us. His smiling face and positive attitude to life is always in my mind. He will be deeply missed as a classmate and good friend. With heartfelt sympathy, Kim Man Wong
We first met Esmond and his lovely family at Saviour of the World Parish when they joined our parish community. Esmond was baptized in our parish in 2001, and over the years, he became a very dear brother in Christ to us.
Esmond was deeply devoted to our parish and generously gave his time, energy, and talents to serve our community. He helped organize spiritual gatherings and was always willing to share thoughtful ideas to enrich our parish life. He was also such a warm and enjoyable person to talk to, and his kindness and generosity touched those around him.
Throughout his illness, Esmond showed remarkable courage and optimism. His unwavering faith and trust in our Lord, even during such a difficult time, were truly inspiring and will remain a beautiful example for us.
Esmond will be dearly missed, but we thank God for the blessing of having known him and for the many precious memories we shared with him. May our merciful Lord welcome Esmond into His loving embrace and grant him eternal rest and peace. May the Lord also comfort his beloved family and give them strength and consolation during this time of sorrow.
Heavenly Father, we believe in You taking good care of Edmond, Shum Yick Fung, remaining with us in our hearts, comfort to his family in this moment of sorrow.
Knowing him in CUHK.
Dear Wendy and all Esmon’s family members, Teresa and I deeply share the pain and sorrow your family has suffered when escorting Esmond on his way of the cross. Everyone has shared his pain and lessened his burden. When we see his picture he is smiling as he has arrived at the gate of heaven and heard the joy of angels singing welcoming Esmond to the heavenly banguet. With faith, we know that this is not the end of Esmond’s jouney, as he will be led to see the glory of God. There Esmond will find his eternal lasting place and rest in peace.
Rest assured that we will continue to pray for Esmond and your family and walking with you. You know help is just a phone call away. We are all brother and sister in Christ. May our Almigty God grants your family strength and courage in the days ahead.
We pray from Hong Kong
Dear Wendy,
Please accept our condolences. May God bless you and your family during this difficult period.
Esmond’s and I became very close when we joined the same Bank after graduation. He inspired me to explore the China market which offered an amazing and fruitful experience for my 36 life in banking. I was also excited to witness how you two get to know each other and started a new life together in Canada.
Esmond continued to show his interest in the Chins development story while he was in Canada. We shared our experiences and views about China every time we chatted.
Lastly, The trip with Esmond to Newfoundland in 2023 was very memorable and brought us a lot of joy and happiness.
I am very grateful to have you and Esmond as our close friends.
Please take good care of yourself!
We were classmates at our high school in Hong Kong, and that was about 50 years ago. We lost contact after graduation and then we met again in Canada in a school reunion about 10 years ago. Since then we have gatherings once or twice a year with classmates of many decades. I must say Esmond hasn’t changed a bit since we’ve known each other in the 70’s. His gentleman character, acute sense of social and political events, dedication in the work/hobby of his many endeavors. Esmond will be dearly missed.
Esmond was a dear friend throughout the years, and we will miss him dearly.
Vanessa and Esmond both attended New Asia College of Chinese University of Hong Kong, and become good friends though a circle of friends. Then we met up with Esmond and Wendy in Toronto after both families moved to Toronto.
We were fortunate enough to help celebrate marriage of Esmond and Wendy in Toronto. Shortly, Esmond and Wendy favored us as witnesses to our marriage. After a few years, they joined in celebration of the birth of our elder son, Eugene. Later, we also got to congratulate them on the births of their two beautiful girls, Casey and Michelle.
We hope that Wendy and the girls will be comforted by the thought that Esmond had a life well lived, and that he is well loved by friends and family. That he is in a much better place now than possible. That his two girls’ families prosper and continue to do so.
Edmund and Wendy kindly hosted us at their Toronto home two years ago when we visited Canada. We missed each other so much so talking past late night very often. Edmund drove us around showing us different aspects of Canadian life. We’ll never forget.
Edmund and I were MBA classmate 83-85. Since graduation, we never met until two years ago. He moved to Canada while I went to UK. Despite the long distance, we communicated often, sharing news and our views of different issues. My wife Natalie and I will miss you deeply.