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Euan Taylor

$5,310.00 (raised so far)

About Euan Taylor

Euan Taylor passed away on February 11, 2015, to the great sadness of all who knew him. A graduate of the Allard School of Law in 1997, he was called to the BC Bar in 1998 to begin a varied and highly successful legal career in Vancouver. He also lectured, published and taught on a variety of JP issues and aspects of the Chinese legal system at Peking University, Simon Fraser University, BCJT and UBC.

Born in the UK in the town of Bromborough, Euan completed his undergraduate studies at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, where he received a Natural Sciences degree. He was awarded his PhD in 1989 from the University of London for studies in Molecular and Developmental Biology. He subsequently held postdoctoral fellowships in cell biology and agricultural biology at the University of Manitoba before coming to UBC to study law.

While studying for his PhD in London, Euan met his wife Joy. He supported her during her academic career, helping her overcome any challenges that came her way, and was always there to celebrate her success. Their children were born in 1997 (Teagan) and 1999 (Phoebe), and Euan inspired them to follow their passion and to keep doing what they loved most for the rest of their lives.

As demonstrated by his impressive number of degrees and his various instructor roles, Euan had a passion for learning and even mastered written and oral Mandarin. Through his work with WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Davis LLP he made many close friends in China, who valued his ability to discuss complex legal issues in their native tongue. He was a kind, patient and loyal colleague, always ready to lend a hand or provide insight, while always being respectful of everyone else’s time.

Euan was much more than a brilliant lawyer, patent and trademark agent, and arbitrator. He was a devoted husband and father. He was a master at balancing work and family life, and adored the backcountry. He was a keen cyclist and gifted runner. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and colleagues around the world.

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The impact of your support

In Euan’s memory, a memorial plaque will be placed on a tree on the west side of the Irving K. Barber Library at UBC.

Your donation will support the creation of this special tribute that will honour his connection with UBC and his passion for learning.

Messages of Remembrance

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  • Though I regret that I did not know Euan well, I did see him many times through our children when I lived in Vancouver. Euan impressed me as an outstanding father, one whose children were a big priority in his daily life. A few memories that stand out include the things he did for his daughter and mine, such as taking them camping, bringing his daughter to Victoria to visit mine. I also remember Euan for his compassion and how he responded with such genuine concern when my daughter's father was terminally ill. My daughter never really got to go camping with her own father, they ran out of time for that. But Euan did manage to do these important things during his time and those memories count a great deal I'm sure. He helped to raise some wonderfully confident kids.

    Susan Stevenson, Friend of family
  • Euan and I met for the first time in Beijing, China in 2007. He was travelling through China on business, and I had just recently arrived in China for work. There we were, two displaced Canadians in China looking for the possibility of collaboration between our law firms. At our office meeting, my first impression of Euan was that he was passionate, principled, very serious, and focused primarily on business. The meeting led to dinner that evening, which gave me the opportunity to learn of another side of Euan. He shared stories of his life, his travels to China, and the people he met along the way. From that dinner, I knew Euan would always be the type of person that I would want as a friend. Since our first meeting, we stayed in touch and wrote two text book chapters together, along with our friend David Bloch who Euan introduced me to, and we spoke on the same panel for a number of China legal seminars. Due to the distance between us, Vancouver and Beijing, China, we could only meet and catch-up in person when our travel schedules aligned. As a result, I only learned about Euan's passing yesterday. Although it has been several months since Euan passed away, I wanted to let Euan's family know that he left me with some wonderful memories, and I will remember him dearly. George

    George Chan, Friend
  • Joy Richman, Memorial Tree and Plaque April 2016

    Joy Richman, Spouse
List of Donors
  • Matthew Thomas Sullivan

  • Joy Richman

  • Sally, Michael, Matthew and Samara Slater

  • Samuel Schwartz

  • Joyce Lee

  • Laura Richman

  • David Spratley

  • Reesa and Ken Tennenhouse and family

  • Edwin Yen

  • Lauren Bentley

  • Anonymous & Offline Donations

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