Charlie Sing

Charlie Sing, 1942.

Dates: b. China, 29 January 1885 d. Vancouver, 18 October 1954

Cemetery Location: Block G, Row 4, Plot 14

Profile:

Prior to the Three Valley mill fire in 1913, Charlie Sing (Low Wai Jing) supplied fresh produce to the villagers from his Chinese market garden located half way around the lake, 21 kilometers west of Revelstoke.

In 1913, Charlie moved to Revelstoke and took over the Fraser farm on Powerhouse Road, living in one of the small buildings on the property.

Everyone knew Charlie. Every week, spring, summer and fall, he drove his horse and cart through the back lanes of town selling fresh produce. When school was out he often had children tagging along for a ride (he would always carry candies for the children along his route.)

At Christmas, Charlie would give a brightly embroidered Chinese silk handkerchief and a lily bulb to his female customers, and when a family member suffered from illness, Charlie would leave a gift of fruit or vegetables at their door.

For a while, after the Japanese invasion of China, Charlie lost track of his wife and family. At one point his teenage son, Bing, came from China to join him in Revelstoke, but he did not like farm work and eventually moved to Vancouver.

When Charlie’s health deteriorated, he was transferred from Queen Victoria Hospital to St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, where he died on 18 October 1954.

Charlie Sing with children, date unknown.