CHIN, Clinton Gordon

July 28, 1931 — May 27, 2026

Clinton Gordon Chin, born to James and Susan Chin in Montego Bay, Jamaica on the 28th of July 1931, passed away peacefully on the 27th of May 2026 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. He was the fifth of seven children who all lived to see their ninetieth birthday.

From early childhood he showed an aptitude for both learning and sports, actively pursuing both throughout his life in various ways. Ever thoughtful and caring, he maintained the firm principles of integrity, honesty, and ethics to the end. All those who knew him understood his values, even when he drove them mad. Underneath, his concern for the well-being of others came out in subtle but clear ways.

His athletic career developed naturally through an active childhood in Jamaica. Soccer was an ever-present pastime that led to him playing on the varsity team at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire in his freshman year. He was a valued part of a local cricket team in Montego Bay, well-known and respected as a good batsman. He learned gymnastics and boxing at Munro College, Jamaica and continued to dabble in both in his early years. He played high-level field hockey and helped to take the University College of the West Indies to many finals; rumour has it that he represented Jamaica on occasion. He learned cunning and powerful badminton at the Chinese Social and Athletic Club in Montego Bay, later bringing his skills to Fort St. James, B.C. where he organized a popular badminton night at the high school. Throughout life, he was an avid ping-pong player and entered many tournaments along the way, including the Northern B.C. Winter Games in 1987 – for more competition he chose to play in the open division even though he was a senior! Upon retirement, he and his wife left the North and bought a home just off the second hole of the Sumac Ridge Golf Club. Golfing became his joyful obsession, and he spent many hours at the Summerland Golf & Country Club with his intrepid foursome.

Clinton demonstrated easy and inexplicable brilliance in math, and solid strength in all other subjects. He worked hard to improve in areas that he felt weak. He started his undergraduate journey at Dartmouth College but before finishing was called back to the family business in Jamaica. This allowed him to begin and build his relationship with Enid, his wife of 64 years. They went together to the University College of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica and he graduated with Honours in Organic Chemistry, winning a scholarship to Oxford University. He attained his D.Phil. (Ph.D.) three years later and immigrated to Canada where he did post-doctoral work at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, completing a fellowship in Organic Chemistry. This took him next into pharmaceutical research at Raylo Chemicals, although an academic career might have been his preference. He and Enid started their family in Edmonton, with dreams of building a good life in their chosen country.

In 1976, Clinton changed careers and went into a completely different field – that of a shopkeeper. He and Enid purchased and managed a Macleods hardware store together, moving their young family to Fort St. James, B.C. They quickly became part of the community as one of the few places in town to get a wide variety of goods. They spent fifteen years as merchants there, prospering enough to retire comfortably in 1991 to Summerland, B.C. There, they spent twenty-five years in leisure and yard work.

In 2015, they decided to move to Kelowna to be closer to their daughter and son. This second retirement was bittersweet, as Clinton suffered a stroke in 2018. He approached his rehabilitation in his usual fashion, exercising regularly to regain basic mobility and functioning. Fortunately, he maintained his sharp intellect and spent hours on his computer keeping up with world events, doing puzzles, and sharing naughty jokes with distant friends. He moved into Brandt’s Creek Mews in 2024 and finished his long and accomplished life there.

Clinton leaves behind his wife, daughter, son, four grandchildren, two remaining siblings, and extended family. He is missed, but with us always.

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