Dick Mah SAI-CHEW, Life Member
August 21, 1928—March 9, 2025
Dick Mah Sai-Chew passed away on March 9, 2025, at the age of 96 at Toronto Western Hospital in Toronto, Ontario after a long and fulfilling life and career. Dick was a Toronto-based architect who was a long-time partner of the Thom Partnership.
Born in Vancouver, Canada, in 1928, Dick graduated from the University of British Columbia's School of Architecture in 1952. He began his architectural career at the influential Vancouver firm Thompson, Berwick & Pratt (TBP), where he worked on the BC Electric Building. It was also at TBP that he met and became close friends with Ron Thom.
After his time at Thompson, Berwick & Pratt, Dick took up an architectural position with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), moving with his wife, Susan, to Montreal in 1960. In 1965, Ron Thom invited Dick to join him in working on Trent University. Dick relocated with his young family to Peterborough to establish a local office and oversee the architectural execution of the Trent project. He played a leading role in ensuring that Ron Thom’s master plan was fully realized, contributing to the design and construction of Champlain College, Lady Eaton College, the Bata Library, the Chemistry Building, and the Faryon Bridge.
Dick worked in Ron Thom’s firm from 1965 to 1986, becoming a senior partner in the Thom Partnership in 1970. In addition to his work at Trent University, he contributed to numerous Canadian modernist projects produced by Ron Thom’s office, including the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in Victoria, B.C.; two campuses of Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario; and several high-profile Ontario projects, such as the Prince Hotel in Toronto, the Queen’s University Social Services Centre in Kingston, the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the master plan for the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo, including the African and Indo-Malaya Pavilions.
In 1980, Dick and Susan moved back to Vancouver, where he set up a branch office for the Thom Partnership. They returned to Toronto in 1982. After Ron Thom’s passing in 1986, Dick continued running the firm—renamed the Colborne Architectural Group—alongside his remaining partners, Stephen Quigley, Peter Berton, and Paul Nevins. He later formed a partnership with Loghman Azar of Line Architect before retiring in 2005, marking the end of a remarkable 53-year career.
In retirement, Dick remained engaged in architecture, reviewing drafts of Adele Weder’s books Ron Thom and the Allied Arts and Ron Thom Architect: The Life of a Creative Modernist.
Dick was an avid runner who completed five marathons, a golfer, and a collector of Japanese ceramics. He always claimed that the secret to his longevity was a 4-ounce gin martini every evening.
He is survived by his two daughters, Lydia (Drew Cleland) and Trish (Richard Lai), four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held with close friends and family.
Condolences can be emailed to dicksaichewmemorial@gmail.com. Donations in Dick’s memory can be made at ymcagta.org.