Vicente Chan

Vicente Chan, 82 of Ridgewood, entered into eternal rest at Valley Hospital, Ridgewood on January 21, 2022. His roots lie in Xiamen, Fujian Province, Mainland China. His father immigrated and settled in the Philippines whereby on July 21, 1939, Vicente was born in Cebu City. After completing school, he worked as a purser in William Lines to support his family, falling in love with his future wife of fifty-four years who frequented his ship. They bought their first home in Tudela and started a Copra business. Later, he inherited the family general store on his father’s side, Lian Thay Trading, in Iligan City. After starting a family and working diligently to put all four of his children through college and medical school, he subsequently moved to the United States to retire and spend time with his grandchildren. Vicente spoke three languages, was a jack of all trades, moving and visiting places all over the globe. Husband to Gloria Bodiongan; father to Catherine, Carlo, Charo, and Christopher; grandfather to Kelly, Kelsey, Ella, Vince, Gian, and TaiChris; Vicente devoted himself freely to those he loved with the bottomless room in his heart and the immeasurable beauty of his soul. Brilliant and stubborn, constantly learning and exploring the world, he forever remains timeless. Everyone who ever came into his acquaintance could say unquestionably that there was only kindness in him, his very being one without a speck of hatred. Vicente found fulfillment in the unnoticeable parts of the world, a true artist and fearless globetrotter. His passions consisted of cooking all kinds of food, snapping photos, playing chess, and watching movies. He loved music in all forms, whether it was in singing, listening, or playing. And the common denominator among all of his passions was he did them for or with his family, whom he held above everything else. Vicente lived to make others happy, in not the words he said but in his actions, wholeheartedly satisfied with eliciting smiles from strangers, friends, and family. He was eternally content without worldly possessions but with the laughter of those cared for so unconditionally. In rain and storms, he accepted and held every beautifully flawed part of those he loved dear, equally the same as in sunny days. It was never in his nature to love by fragments, but by wholes and universes. And his legacy of love and warmth, of laughter and smiles, of recipes and music, is everlasting proof. Memorial Visitation will take place on Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Levandoski-Grillo Funeral Home, 44 Bay Ave., Bloomfield, NJ. A Memorial Mass will follow at 8:00 p.m. at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish (Immaculate Conception Church) 30 N. Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, NJ.