Wallace Wing Chinn

Wally was the youngest son of Do Ho ‘Pak’ and Oy Ngoe Yee Chinn. He was preceded in death by his four older siblings: Hing Chinn, Kenneth Chinn, Lily Chinn and Bertha Chinn Lung Tsuchiya.

Wally is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Deanna Haw Chinn and their four children: Sheryl Ma (Danny), Sandy Nakatsu (John), Kevin Chinn (Eileen), and Kristi Grant (Julian). He is forever cherished and remembered by his twelve grandchildren: Alex, Adam, Tyler, Natalie, Emi, Niki, Nolan, Kyle, Miya, Brandon, Cameron, and Connor. His memory lives on with his godson, Leslie Lung (Linda), and his many nieces and nephews and their families.

Growing up in Seattle’s Central District, he spent youthful years hanging out with friends in the neighborhood and with his brother Hing and his wife Mary at their house. In 1942, at the age of 14, Wally contracted tuberculosis and spent the next six years at the Firland Sanatorium. He had an aggressive form of tuberculous and underwent lung resection in an attempt to control his TB. After the successful surgery, Wally was finally released from the hospital.

He entered the University of Washington with determination, setting himself up for the best education afforded to him. In 1952, he graduated with honors, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Business. Attributing his success to his time at UW, Wally was a dedicated Husky. He went on to work for the Department of Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) as an internal auditor. DCAA became his social circle and work family. Many of his co-workers became his lifelong friends, and some even took part in Wally’s business endeavors.

In 1962, Wally met Deanna. Giddy with excitement, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He was in love, and they married later that year. Wally truly believed he was the luckiest man on earth.

His gratitude and gracious heart came from the years he spent recovering at Firland, the opportunity to attend UW, the privilege of owning real estate, the stars that aligned to connect him to Deanna, and the delight of having and raising four healthy children. The kindness Wally received growing up helped prepare him for the journey of raising his own family.

His work ethic and intrinsic motivation gave him the gift of patience. He lived a lifetime of experiences and in return, he was grateful for the simple things in life. He expressed his authentic faith and was baptized at Chinese Baptist Church. His heartwarming smile could melt away any stress and his funny stories and opinions filled the room with laughter. He gravitated to strangers, striking up conversations like old friends. While he did not lean toward material or luxury items, he had a generous spirit and enjoyed good food. When Deanna opened Mercer Island Gull, Wally cooked and always made sure dinner was ready after she came home from a long day of work. And each of his children were the recipient of his undivided attention, validating “I am dad’s favorite”.

Although Wally worked at DCAA for 30 years, his true passion was real estate. His favorite phrase was “Location! Location! Location!” Wally trusted his intuition, and did not allow fear of risk to get in his way. He was an astute businessman who understood how to leverage his assets to maximize purchasing power. In 1958, he made his first major acquisition. Over the years, he built a humble portfolio. The financial sacrifices he made in the 70’s and 80’s came into fruition in the late 90’s, and allowed him to retire from DCAA.

He happily spent his post-career days visiting his properties to chat with tenants or managers, collecting coins from the laundry machines, doing repair and maintenance work, or simply going over to visit his godson, Leslie, at Queen Anne Vision or his sister-in-law, Amy, at Mercer Mini Mart. Wally had the biggest heart, and his family and friends were his greatest love.

In 1994, Wally gleefully welcomed his first grandchild, Alex. Being called “Goon Goon” (or Grandpa) was music to his ears. The joy and excitement of tiny, little cries filled his heart with pride. Over the next 10 years, he got the Chinn football team he dreamed of plus one: 12 grandkids! Wally and Deanna spoiled their grandchildren with trips to Disney World, Cruises, Hawaii, and California. He looked forward to babysitting days–seeing his grandkids play, receiving bear hugs and sharing ice cream with them before dinner. He and Deanna often took them to the park and had McDonald’s for lunch afterwards. Wally’s favorite activity was going to the apartment to collect coins from the laundry room because he loved enlisting his eager, young grandkids to roll the coins and take them to the bank. He also frequently planned trips to Irvine to see his California grandbabies.

In 2015, as Wally’s dementia progressed, Deanna came to the difficult realization that she needed help at home. That year, we welcomed Lai Kwan into our family. Wally enjoyed the next decade in the comfort of his home (the house he built and where he raised his family). Lai Kwan was our guardian angel who cared for Wally like her own father. She dedicated her time to keep him safe and we are eternally grateful for her love and kindness. Wally was also blessed with home-cooked meals and wonderful care from Jenny, Margaret and Ling. He especially enjoyed looking at family albums with Ling. His unforgettable phrase, “you are so pretty”, is forever etched in our hearts.

It is hard to say goodbye to someone who had such a tremendous impact on our lives. It is always hard to lose someone you know, to let go of him, and to move on. But if we keep those special memories in our hearts and minds, we will find comfort knowing that Wally will always be with us.

In closing, we would like to share this poem with you, Quietly by Becky Hemsley:

I missed you quietly today. So quietly that no one noticed.

I missed you as I climbed out of bed and as I brushed my teeth;

when I waited at the lights on the drive into work and

as I heard the rain outside my window.

I missed you as I ordered lunch and as I kicked off my shoes

when I got home; as I switched off the lights and climbed

into bed for the night.

I missed you without tears or noise or fanfare.

But oh how I felt it.

I felt it in the morning, at lunchtime, in the evening and at night.

I felt it as I woke, as I waited, as I worked.

I felt it at home, on the road, in the light, in the dark, in the rain.

I felt it in every one of those moments, each one sitting

heavier and heavier as the weight of me missing you kept

growing and growing.

Yes, I missed you so quietly today.

But I felt it so loudly.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the charity of your choice, Kin On, Chinese Baptist Church or Wing Luke Museum.