A Tribute to

Paul E. Chan

It is with deep sadness that we announce Paul Emerson Chan has gained his angel wings and joined his ancestors. Paul was born on February 14, 1957 and passed peacefully on September 1, 2023 surrounded by his loving family. He was a beloved son, brother, father, husband, grandfather, uncle, friend and golf buddy, cherished by many.

Paul was born in New York City where he spent his early years on St. Marks Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (Aunt Pat’s Brownstone) until his father Willmott was repatriated from New York to Guyana by the Canadian Bauxite Co. Alcan, with wife Meigan and children Paul and Hazel in tow. Paul was three when he landed in the expatriate town of Watooka, McKenzie (now named Linden) Guyana, where he attended McKenzie

High School. A few years later Alcan sent Willmott to Switzerland to complete an Industrial Business Management degree. The family lived in the suburbs of Geneva for just over a year where Paul added skiing and fluency in French to his already impressive skill set. Upon returning to Watooka, also known as ‘Paul’s Playground’, he continued his love of sports to become a standout swimmer, diver, baseball player, golfer and all around sports enthusiast. The Chan’s backyard ended with the Demerara River, where the family spent hours daily swimming, boating and fishing. Family trips to Rockstone on the Essequibo River added to Paul’s love of camping, fishing and exploring nature which sparked a lifelong passion for travel, adventure and family.

In 1972, Meigan returned to Brooklyn with her five children, Paul, Hazel, Deborah, Andree and Alicia. The move was a hard one for Paul, having to leave his high school ‘tribe’ who became his lifelong friends. Despite this, in 1974, Paul completed his last year of high school, graduating from Pacific High School in Brooklyn, New York.

Immediately after graduating high school with Honors, Paul enlisted in the Air Force at the age of seventeen and after basic training he served his country for 6 years completing tours of service around the world including South Korea and Guam, further molding his resilient spirit.

Paul brought a piece of Guam home with him when he introduced our beloved Charlotte as his wife, along with toddlers Geiselle and Gabriel. Paul, Charlotte and the children called Washington, DC home long enough for his next career path to be forged.

Brilliant at everything he attempted, he mastered carpentry and furniture making while taking care of his growing family now with the addition of Karl. He attended college at night with a full academic load getting straight A’s, Paul captured the attention of his classmate Sam, who was the son of a baker. Sam introduced Paul to his father, who soon became Paul’s boss. Paul loved the bakery and his brilliance, innovation, and enthusiasm very quickly set him apart. In less than two years, Paul’s boss nominated him for an academic scholarship to the famous American Institute of Baking.

His new passion for baking led him to achieve the credentials of Master Baker while he and Charlotte raised their growing family in the foothills of Virginia, and then to central Florida where the birth of Nicholas completed the Chan Clan tribe, before moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth in Texas and eventually to Denver, Colorado.

Throughout his career, Paul held several significant roles, including a position as the Regional Manager of East Balt China in 1994. He then moved his family to Shanghai, China in 1996. He was loved and known as ‘China’s long lost son’. In China, Paul expanded his family and developed lifelong friendships with Richard An, Kelly Wang, Sam and Mary Hu, as well as a special bond with his personal driver Joe Dhu. Paul had a way with everyone he encountered, treating all fairly and uniquely special. While living in China he was a founding member of the Hairy Crab Golf Club Charitable Foundation and recently reunited with his old buddies for a memorable tournament.

After China, Paul served as the Regional Manager of East Balt UK. In 2002, he fulfilled his lifelong dream and opened his own family bakery, The Bagelry. His hard work and dedication led him to open another bakery, Compare Breads in Linden, Guyana in 2017, in order to give back to the community he so loved. Also in 2017 he started a successful international consulting firm, Guy Chan Global, LLC, where he consulted with multiple bakeries around the globe. In 2021, he became a Plant Manager of Denver Dawn Manufacturing where he forged strong relationships with his co-workers.

Paul's other pastimes included his love of Jazz music and some of his favorite books. He also loved to work around the house, especially tending to his 4 acre yard in Centennial, Colorado. An avid outdoorsman, Paul rekindled his passion for Golf (long before Tiger Woods) where according to Charlotte, one could always find Paul when not working or with his family. He often enjoying 18 holes of golf with best friend Charles Anderson with Aurora Hills Golf Club being one of his favorite local spots around Denver. He was part of the men's club there and played tournaments almost every week, contributing his winnings to charitable endeavors. He traveled the world and everywhere he went he brought his golf clubs and tested the local courses.

Surviving him are his loving wife, Charlotte H. Chan, their children Gabriel Holt-Chan, Geiselle Holt-Chan, Karl Holt-Chan, and Nicholas Chan. His joy in being a grandfather was evident in his relationship with his grandchildren Isaac Holt, Anthony Holt, Maeleen Holt, Quinton Chan, Shaydin Chan, Kiana Chan, Kainan Holt, and Nyjah Holt, and his great-grandchild Juniper Holt.

He will be fondly remembered by his father Willmott Chan, his sisters Hazel Chan-Jones, Deborah Chan, Andree Chan-Mann, Alicia Chan, and Yonette Adams, as well as his in-laws and an abundance of nieces, nephews and cousins on all sides of his family. He was predeceased by his beautiful mother Lorna Meigan Margaret Cromwell Chan.

Let us remember Paul Chan for his resilience, his amazing personality, his love for his family, his passion for his work and his love of golf. There was truly no other like him for Paul Emerson Chan surely “Did It His Way”.

In lieu of flowers, funds are being raised for "A memorial bench at the golf course Paul loved." You can donate at https://everloved.com/life-of…. Let us remember Paul Chan for his resilience, his amazing personality, his love for his family, his passion for his work, and his love of life. There was truly no other like him.

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