Every living organism in the world has a beginning and an end. Aging and death are the inevitable paths for everyone. As someone who has been engaged in scientific research throughout my life, I always thought I could face the end of life calmly. However, when I received the news of the sudden passing of my old friend Zhili, I couldn't help but feel deeply un__set__tled and sad.

45 years ago (1977), we attended the same university, Northeast Forestry University. He studied mechanical engineering while I pursued forestry, so we had no interact during our time in university. The first time we met was probably 30 years ago in Vancouver. As university alumni and sharing the same profession (he was the director of the Remote Sensing Department at the Forestry Science Institute of Heilongjiang Province at that time), and being fellow Northeasterners, the impression was profound, and we had a good rapport. Later, he moved to Prince George, and we had frequent interactions due to work-related matters. In 2007, he joined the Ministry of Forests in British Columbia, and we became colleagues. In 2013, he joined our remote sensing team.

The two of us took great pride in jointly completing two major remote sensing application projects. One was the successful application of satellite and airborne remote sensing techniques to complete the Landscape Vegetation inventory in the Cassiar area (northwestern British Columbia, covering 1/6 of the province's total area). We successfully filled the gaps in the BC Forest Resource Database with a cost less than 6% of the conventional inventory. Wang Zhili's contribution was particularly important, especially in the later stage of data processing, which ensured the smooth completion of the project. The other project was the application of lidar in the forest resource survey of Haida Gwaii Island (the second largest island in British Columbia), most of which was completed by Wang Zhili alone.

Wang Zhili had strong skills in computer programming and data processing, both in the forestry company and the forestry ministry. He was a key figure, always ready to help whenever someone had a problem. He would say, "As long as you can think of it, I can write a program for it." He received several departmental awards. I believe his departure is a great loss to the Ministry of Forests because it will be challenging to find someone with such exceptional expertise.

I remember our first hiking trip together was in 2009, in East Sooke. After that, we went hiking every Saturday without fail, and it became the happiest and most enjoyable day of our week. Over the past 15 years, we have explored the mountains and waters around Victoria together. We discussed everything under the sun. We have climbed Mounts Arrowsmith, Cokely, Albert Edward, Myra, Black Task, Panorama Ridge, Garibaldi Lake, and during the pandemic, we even went to Berge Lake together. We created a hiking club that brought us much joy. We had countless hiking plans for our retirement.

The most profound impression I have of Wang Zhili, based on my interactions with him, is his sincerity, integrity, and his willingness to help others. He always double returned any favors received. Almost everyone who knew him has received his assistance because he was someone who couldn't say no. Perhaps it was due to his family traditions and upbringing, his entire life was dedicated to helping others and bringing joy to them. I admire this quality of his the most.

He had a passion for photography and served as the dedicated photographer for our hiking group. When I looked back at old photos, there were very few pictures of Wang Zhili because most of the time he was the one taking photos of others.

Wang Zhili was very traditional. He loved his wife dearly, worked hard for his children, and raised three outstanding son and daughters. He fulfilled his duties towards his parents, in-laws, sister, and extended family. He was the backbone of his large family.

The Wang Zhili I knew was full of passion for life. If you talked to him about topics that interested him, such as religion and politics, he would become animated and passionately discuss them for hours. He had extensive knowledge, cared about current affairs, and despised things he found disagreeable. He was skilled at independent thinking and had unique perspectives. He excelled in prose, poetry, and photography. He was proficient in various trades such as masonry, electrical work, and plumbing. He was an ordinary person, not wealthy, famous, or prominent. It is precisely because of this that his personality's charm and greatness shone through over the decades of our friendship, creating countless wonderful memories. I am honored and proud to have such a good friend, confidant, and brother.

We cannot know or change when we are born or when we will leave. All we can do is live each day well. Based on my understanding of Wang Zhili, I believe he wouldn't want us to be sad and sorrowful for him right now. He would tell us that life is beautiful, to cherish and be grateful for everything we have, to love our loved ones more, to care more for our families, to be more generous to our friends, to extend our hands to those who need help, and to treasure ourselves more because our health and happiness are our responsibility and commitment to those who love us. People around us can leave at any time. Let's have fewer "ifs" and "what ifs" in life.

Wang Zhili lived a brilliant life and left gracefully. May he reunite with his parents in heaven and be with the Lord.