William (Willie) V.Y. Shen, 81, of Vancouver, British Columbia, passed away peacefully with family by his side on March 1st, 2021 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Mr. Shen was born in Hong Kong in 1939, son of the late Jackson Shen and Shen Lam Ying. He is survived by his spouse, Happy Shen Loh Chun Yi, his children, Yvonne and Kevin Shen, their spouses Kurt Schroeder and Peggy Shen respectively, and his grandchildren Owen, Isabelle, Leanne, and Sophie. He is also survived by his siblings Fleming, Vivien, and Samson, and many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Shen attended St. Joseph’s College in Hong Kong and shortly after graduation, began his career at Longman Group (Far East) Ltd., a British publishing company. He started as a general clerk in 1959 and by 1975, rose to the position of Managing Director. He eventually became Managing Director of Addison-Wesley Longman (Asia) Ltd., and Senior Vice President (International Division) of Pearson Education (China) Ltd. Under his leadership, Longman published the first English- Chinese Dictionary for the Asian market, subsequently followed by bi-lingual dictionaries of Contemporary English, Business English, Scientific and Technical Terms, Biological Terms and Computing to name a few. Mr. Shen successfully expanded the business, captured the lion’s share of Hong Kong’s English textbook market, and secured Longman’s publishing and rights business in Mainland China— a first for a foreign-owned publishing company to break into and thrive in that emerging market. During his 40+ years tenure at the company, Longman Group (Far East) Ltd. became a production powerhouse for the whole of Longman Group. Mr. Shen was known as a “Legend” throughout Longman and in the publishing industry across Asia for his strategic vision, tenacity, and incredible work ethic.

Mr. Shen was also a fighter. In 1999, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and turned his energy to beating the disease. In 2001, he went into remission and retired to Vancouver, British Columbia to enjoy the fresh air and to pursue interests he previously had precious little time for. He golfed, swam, learned how to play badminton, sang, traveled, spent time with family and friends, volunteered at the BC Cancer Society, and organized charity concerts (where he was also a singer,) to raise money for lung cancer research.

Mr. Shen lived a full, successful, and meaningful life. He cared deeply for his family, friends, and colleagues. Aside for being known as a kind, witty, generous, and loyal man, Mr. Shen knew how to throw a smashing party— everyone always looked forward to his holiday festivities and gatherings in Hong Kong. He was also a marvelous storyteller— chances were if you knew him, he had a story or two for you (or of you!). He will be missed tremendously by all those who knew him and were touched by him.

A memorial service will be held in his honor on Wednesday, March 10th at the Centre for Peace, a part of the Canadian Memorial United Church. With regret, due to the current COVID restrictions, the service will be limited to close family and friends.

沈維賢先生，2021年3月1日於卑詩省溫哥華，在家人的陪伴下，安詳辭世，享年81歲。

沈先生，1939年出生於香港，父親沈吉誠，母親沈林英。家人包括：太太沈樂俊薏；女兒Yvonne Shen, 兒子 Kevin Shen 和他們各自的伴侶 Kurt Schroeder, Peggy Shen; 孫兒輩的有 Owen, Isabelle, Leanne 和 Sophie; 兄弟姐妹有 Fleming, Vivien, Samson，還有眾多的侄子侄女，外甥外甥女。

沈先生就讀於香港聖若瑟書院。畢業之後不久即開始其在英國出版公司- 朗文出版（遠東）有限公司的職業生涯。1959年他作為普通文員進入朗文公司，至1975年已經成為該公司的董事長。

在沈先生的領導下，朗文成功出版了針對亞洲市場的第一本英漢雙解詞典，隨之擴展成為整個系列的英漢雙解詞典，包括：《朗文當代英漢雙解詞典》，《朗文英漢雙解商業詞典》，《朗文英漢雙解科技詞典》等。

除此之外，朗文也成功開拓了香港的中小學教科書市場，並佔據主導的市場份額。香港朗文也成為最早進入中國大陸的外資出版社，並通過與中國各地出版社進行版權貿易的合作方式，讓朗文品牌深入人心，大放異彩。

在沈先生超過40年的職業生涯中，香港朗文成為整個朗文集團的印刷生產基地。退休前，沈先生的職位是培生教育出版集團國際部的高級副總裁，是華人在外資出版界的最高職位。他是華人的驕傲，是亞洲出版界的傳奇人物。

此外，沈先生也是一位勇士。1999年確診肺癌之後，開始了與癌症的抗爭，並成功地戰勝了癌症。2001年舉家遷往溫哥華，開始其退休生活。

沈維賢先生樂善好施，幫助了無數的朋友、同事、甚至素昧平生的人。他還在各種癌症基金會從事志願者的工作，用自己的經歷和知識幫助了很多癌症患者；此外，他亦積極組織慈善演出，為癌症研究籌款募捐。

沈先生不僅享受溫哥華美好的自然環境，同時也追求自己的興趣和愛好，包括：高爾夫球，游泳，羽毛球，唱歌和旅行等。他非常熱愛自己的家庭，享受和家人一起的天倫之樂。

沈先生的一生是豐富多彩的，充實和有意義的。家人和朋友將會永遠把他的關愛銘記在心，永遠懷念他！

沈維賢先生追悼會將於3月10日週三在溫哥華 Centre for Peace, The Canadian Memorial United Church 舉行。因為疫情原因，只限於少量家屬和朋友，請諒！