KITCHENER -- A typical family gathering to celebrate Chinese New Year turned out to be the last cherished memory of John Tsai. The 41 year-old died a few weeks later from COVID-19, marking Waterloo Region’s first victim of the deadly disease. Steven Tsai recalled that family meal at Crystal Palace in Uptown Waterloo. Amid the bustle and laughter throughout the Chinese restaurant, Steven remembers his brother breaking the news to his family that Kobe Bryant and his daughter had died that day. “I was so shocked to hear two people so young being taken away way too soon,” Steven said. “I remember thinking how devastating it must have been for Kobe's wife, children & family to have happen, it was truly saddening.”