Evan Sum-Leung Cheung was born on July 21, 2004 in Vancouver, Canada with blond-tipped hair, an umbilical cord the diameter of a loonie and weighing 10 lbs 5 oz. Ever since he was a toddler, he had a fascination for “bumps”. Bumps on your skin. Bumps on the sidewalk for the visually-impaired. He loved bumps so much he had them almost permanently on his forehead when he was learning to walk. (Full-disclosure: for about a year-long period, both Julia and I feared the arrival of a social-worker on our doorstep.)

Evan loved our trampoline. Jumping on it, yes. But he would also spend hours on it wrestling and talking with his friends. His neighborhood buddies came to be known as the Wolf Pack. They didn’t text or call one another. They would just step onto the back porch, howl and then meet one in one of our yards. He was always reaching out to others, whether it was through play, through an arm-wrestling challenge, through taking the most unflattering up-close photos of your face, or through the random assortment of Evanisms, like: derp, potato, picaw and “Dad/Mom, what’s one plus one?” Many people were drawn to his unique personality, his way of viewing the world through the lens of relationships, and his deep questions… that always came at the most inconvenient time. This empathy was his super-power, but it also made him vulnerable to bullying.

Evan played soccer for many years. While he also played the piano, and drums, and trombone, and took voice lessons, don’t be too impressed with our parenting. He never stuck with any of those instruments for long. Forgive us. We have brought great dishonor to upholding the Asian tiger-parent stereotype. :) But Evan came into his own when he discovered his talent for rock-climbing and bouldering four years ago. Bouldering thus became our family’s ‘thing’, superceding “Blind Cow Tag” (Evan's adaptation of "tag" that involved crawling around the house with our eyes closed).

He told us that the best year of his life was the one he spent at Rivendell School in Arlington Virginia, and he graduated from high school in Washington DC. Despite crippling depression and anxiety, he was successful academically. He was accepted into NYU and was considered as a finalist for a full-ride scholarship at George Washington University. We’re pretty sure that opportunity flew out the window when he was being his far-too-honest self. When asked at the interview, “What are some benefits to going to college in Washington, DC,” he answered, “To be honest. I don’t really like Washington, DC, so I can’t think of any.” He was looking forward to studying economics or psychology at Simon Fraser University in the fall.

Tenth Church became his third home after DC and his Vancouver grandparents’ homes. Here, he found support and belonging. After joining Tenth staff in the summer of 2022 and through God-ordained encounters, he bonded with staff, volunteers, children and teens. He was baptized here in August of 2022 and through one of those divine encounters, forged an unlikely friendship with his fellow baptizee Joe and his wife Linda, who became his regular climbing buddies and adoptive aunt and uncle. The staff surrounded him with love and wisdom. It was also a place where he began discovering his faith for himself, where he was baptized and where he developed a heart for service and of compassion for others.

Despite the many gifts of talent, friendships and opportunities, Evan’s struggle with mental health became too overwhelming and he died by suicide in Vancouver on June 5, 2023. He fell into the embrace of the God of love who has always held him close. He was a talented writer and he left behind an extensive journal that he wished to share with the world. We hope to honor those wishes in due time to lift the veil on the insidious and invisible challenges caused by poor mental health.

He is survived by his parents, Andrew and Julia, sister, Ashley; his paternal grandparents Daniel and Susan; maternal grandparents, Jo-Jimmy and Maylin Chui; his aunts and uncles, Grace Cheung, Samuel and Serena Chui, Jonathan and Vicki Chui and Sarah and Jimmy Bang; and his cousins: Caitlyn, Ryan, Jordan, Lucas, Rachel, Maddie, Sydney, Avery and Libby. A beautiful life, departing us far too soon, we will miss him dearly. 

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/evan-cheung/obituary/

Copy