Ba Yen Wong

Ba Yen Wong was known for his love of making friends, eating dim sum with friends, and a devoted husband to his wife and love for his and family. He also enjoyed singing and participating in the church choir. He was proud to still be independent and driving at 94, especially since his license wouldn't expire until he turned 100.

Ba was born on May 20, 1933 in Jiangmen City, Guandong province, China. In a village where 20 other WONG families lived. He passed away on December 28, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. Ba was a man of many talents, from learning how to plant rice and vegetables in the field at age 4 to preparing opium pipes for customers at 6. By the time he was 10, he had escaped the Japanese invasion in China by ship with his mom and sister, Linh, to Hong Kong, then onto Saigon, Vietnam. Little did he know, the Japanese war would soon follow. He started his education at 10 years old and ended after 3 years due to the Japanese war in Vietnam. By this time, he also had to take care of 2 new younger sisters and a brother. Ahn, Ngu, and Chung. Between the ages of 15 and 23, he met the Vietnam Civil War, walked almost 24 hours just for food, was arrested and spent a night in jail for selling food on the black market. He learned kitchen grunt work, how to fumigate herbs to make pills, learned the newspaper printing business and became an entrepreneur with his own print shop at 23.

He met the love of his life at 28, married 7 years later and was blessed with 2 boys and 2 girls. Unfortunately, the hardship didn’t end, communism found him in 1975 with the fall of Saigon. After losing virtually everything, he found a boat to escape in 1978. With his family in tow-including a nephew and three other families-he got lost at sea and came close to death a couple of times, yet he persevered and survived. By God’s grace, he resettled in Kirkland, Washington 6 months later and found a job that he enjoyed in the same printing business for 11 years. Misfortune found him again when his job became obsolete. Around the same time, his wife suffered a stroke, and he became her sole caregiver for almost 25 years.

Through the trials and tribulations, he found faith in God and the strength to help his 4 siblings and their families to resettle in the US, as well as his mom and mother-in-law. His strong sense of family unit led him to unite his entire family, also allowing them the opportunity to provide a better future for their children and future generations. His legacy of perseverance, endurance, patience, and hard work lives on.

He is survived by his children Steven, his wife Tiffany, Teri, her husband Loc, Bobby, Lan, her husband Michael. Grandchildren Nicholas, Megan, Alex, Taylor, Grace, Jayna, and Ethan. His sisters Ngu, Anh and brother, Chung. Along with 9 nieces and nephews, 13 great nephews and nieces, and 2 great grand nephews.