Jone Yen Ligh

Tommy was born in Canton, China, on July 1, 1927. He came to the US with his father when he was 9 years old and grew up in Virginia. He served in the Army Air Corps as a radio operator during World War II. Tommy moved to Houston when he was in his early 20s, and this move impacted his life in many ways. First, he met his Savior, Jesus Christ, through the ministry of Chinese Baptist Church. He was ordained as one of the first deacons of Chinese Baptist Church, and through the years he served in numerous ways, including volunteer choir director, Sunday School teacher, ESL teacher, and deacon for 60 years. Second, he met and married Lillie Woo, with whom he raised children Alan & Terri. He had been married to Lillie for 39 years at the time of her passing. He also began his engineering career in Houston, working at Anderson, Greenwood, and Co for 35 years before eventually opening Valve Concepts, Inc, a valve design and manufacturing company. In 1994, Tommy married Mabel Wong, gaining son Mark Wong & wife Joyce and daughter Wanda Wong. They eventually joined West University Baptist Church, where Tommy continued to serve the Lord as a deacon, member of the choir and Prime Time Singers, and the Executive Council.

Tommy is remembered by family and friends as a man of faith who was kind, generous, creative, fun-loving with a good sense of humor, a love for great food, and a heart for serving others. His family was a priority for him, and one of his lifelong projects was developing and maintaining the Ligh family tree, which has grown to include at least 11 generations and over 1000 individuals. Tommy was known for his involvement in church and in the community, serving on the City of Bellaire Board of Adjustments and Building & Standards Commission for several years. As a cancer survivor, he volunteered at MDAnderson for 12 years. Innovative throughout his life, he held numerous patents for his valve designs and refined his creativity during his retirement years by creating toys for his grandkids, first using paper then progressing to wood carvings, a model church building, an airplane simulator, and more.

Tommy was preceded in death by his parents Hong Fon Ligh and Chin Suey Hing, wife Lillie Woo Ligh, and sisters Chee Wong and Snowy Young. He is survived by wife Mabel, children Alan Ligh & wife Folly, Terri Toy & husband Eugene, Mark Wong & wife Joyce, Wanda Wong & husband Jerry, grandchildren Andy & Anna Toy, Michael & Nadine Toy, Allison & Josh Hernandez, Christina & Andy Edmondson, Alexandra Ligh, Zachary Ligh, Matthew Wong, Rebekah Wong, Amanda Wong, Jonathan Wong, Rachel Wong, great-grandson Ethan Edmondson, sister Wendy Wong, brother Steve Ligh & wife Mylew, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Family will receive visitors at Earthman Funeral Home Hunters Creek, 8303 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX, on Thursday, October 13, 2022, from 6-8 pm.

A service celebrating the life of Tommy Ligh will be held at 2 pm on Friday, October 14, 2022, at West University Baptist Church, 6218 Auden, Houston, TX.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to West University Baptist Church or the charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.earthmanhunterscreek.com for the Ligh family.