Hundreds bid farewell to Lynette Sue-Kam-Ling

By Frederick Halley
HUNDREDS turned out at the Highland Funeral Home in Markham, Ontario, Canada last Monday to pay their final respects to Lynette Sue-Kam-Ling, who, along with her late husband, Norman Augustus have left a rich legacy behind; one that their children and other relatives will do well to emulate.

The late Sues were seen as pioneers who brought a taste of Guyana to Canada with the production of salara, mithai, beef patties, cheese rolls, pine tarts, plait bread, tennis rolls and other foods that reminded them of home.

Glowing tributes were the order of the day as the children, grandchildren and other relatives recalled the role Lynette played in the success of the popular Norman Sue Bakery, and also in the moulding of her family. Lynette, who died on Saturday, June 11, turned 71 on March 31 last.

A Condolence Motion, which was moved by Toronto’s Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson, and seconded by Mayor John Tory said the members of the Toronto City Council were saddened to learn of the passing of Lynette Kim-Sue-Lam.

According to the Motion, “Lynette was also a significant force for good in the community. She helped recent immigrants to integrate into their new environment, and offered some of them jobs. She also supported many charities, including community organisations such as Guyana Christian Charities, The Caribbean Children’s Foundation, and Lions International, among others.

“The members of Toronto City Council request that the City Clerk convey to Lynette’s family our deepest sympathy on her passing, and our enduring gratitude for her contributions to her community and our city.”
A special page, which formed part of the funeral brochure and was titled, “Letters to Grandma”, showcased the love they (the grandchildren) had for their dearly departed grandmother.

Tributes were also paid by the five children (Kim, Natasha, Nadia, Nashenka and Norman Jnr.,) while Kim, the eldest of the five, rendered a solo, The Way We Were, made popular by Barbara Streisand.
Monday’s officiating priest was Father Raymond So, while Guyanese Martin James provided musical renditions, among them hymns that Lynette treasured.

Following the moving service, was the entombment, at Memorial Gardens, North York, Ontario, while a reception was held at Queens Banquet Hall, in Scarborough.

Norman Sue Bakery still stands as a beacon among the many Guyanese business enterprises in Toronto, and during a previous interview, daughters Kim and Natasha, who took over the reins when their father died, pointed out that not only has their business become a legacy, but so has the name, Norman Sue. “It’s not only a name; it’s a home, it’s a community. It’s not only Guyanese, not only West Indian, it’s international.

“We grew up in the business,” said Kim, the eldest sibling. She remembered her father as a man who touched many lives, cared less about material things, and one’s colour or religion didn’t matter to him.”

Lynette, who hails from the Pomeroon, was also a tower of strength in the business, before and after the passing of her husband.
The business started in 1976, a few years after the family migrated to Canada, and is currently situated on Ellesmere Road, near Midland Avenue, Scarborough.

Norman Augustus Sue-Kam-Ling was born in 1947 in Georgetown, Guyana, to a father born in China, and a mother whose parents had emigrated from India. The late Sue, who died at age 66, lived in Georgetown and Linden, Upper Demerara, before migrating to Canada in 1971.