Gilbert Wong Woo

      When Gilbert Wong Woo walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Gilbert was and how he impacted those around him. Gilbert was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. Gilbert was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.      Gilbert was born on October 13, 1948 at the Portland Sanitorium in Portland, Oregon. He was the son of Harry and Eva Wong Woo. Gilbert was raised in Portland, Oregon. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Gilbert might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Gilbert was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.      Gilbert was raised with two siblings. He had one brother, Ron, and one sister, Ellen. Gilbert was very accepting and supportive of his family. These traits served Gilbert well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.      As a young boy, Gilbert was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Gilbert was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. He was a member of the Jet Cadets. In his spare time he liked to watch TV commercials and play cowboy. Gilbert's memorable achievements included riding the city bus alone to get his allergy shot when he was just 8 years old. Gilbert had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover.      During his high school years, Gilbert responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. He graduated from Washington High School in 1966. Gilbert was a very good student, and generally did well in his courses. Gilbert absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. Classmates considered Gilbert a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to him to discuss just about anything. He was awarded the first Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Male Athlete of the year award in 1966.      Gilbert did well in college, as a result of his comfort level with tackling new theories and his love of learning. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Christian Education from Multnomah School of The Bible in 1975. His favorite course was youth ministry. His favorite professor was Dr. David Neeham. Gilbert was very adaptable, a quality that helped him make the transition from high school to college with little difficulty. As a result, Gilbert's problem solving skills and thirst for new knowledge almost guaranteed that he enjoyed virtually every class he took. Gilbert was always in quest of new things to learn and experience      With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, Gilbert was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Gilbert was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many, many friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Richard SooHoo, Bill Ko, Gary Young, and Don Lee. Later in life, he became friends with pretty much everybody he encountered.      On July 29, 1972 Gilbert married Vivian Joy Turner at the First Covenant Church of Portland in Oregon. Gilbert's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in his ability to make his new family happy. He was quite sensitive towards Vivian's needs, showing his constant concern and fondness. Gilbert was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served him well in helping to nurture his family.      Gilbert was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide his family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Gilbert, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of his life. Gilbert's skill at understanding his children's feelings, his sensitivity to their needs, and his gift for gentle persuasion enabled him to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Gilbert was blessed with four children: three daughters, Debbie, Becky and Rachel and one son, Jason. He was also blessed with one grandson, Ethan James Hantid.      Gilbert was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was developing customer relationships. He was employed for Columbia Bifocal Company for 35 years and Optical Distributor Group for 10 years. Gilbert was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. Gilbert had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Gilbert's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.      Because Gilbert loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuits involved photography. Gilbert had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes. However, Gilbert's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.      Gilbert derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. In high school, Gilbert participated in football, wrestling and track and field. Recreational sports included golf, bowling and softball. Gilbert was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were Yankee's baseball, football and golf.      Gilbert was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of the Chinese Baptist Church for 42 years, Northridge Community Church for 6 years, and Spring Mountain Bible Church for 5 years. During that time, he was youth pastor, men's ministry and Elder. He was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and he used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for his beliefs.      Though he never did anything solely for individual recognition, Gilbert's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned him accolades for his many lifelong efforts. Some of his most prestigious awards included top sales person of the year in 2001 for Optical Distributor Group.      Gilbert's love of improvising in his daily life was a perfect fit for his enjoyment of traveling. Traveling in a casual manor fit his personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Gilbert took his vacations seriously, well, as seriously as he possibly could. Favorite vacations included cruises to the Carribean, Mexico, Alaska and vacations to Hawaii.      Gilbert Woo passed away on November 21, 2009 at Portland Adventist Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Gilbert fought a brave battle against cancer. He is survived by his wife, Vivian; children, Debbie, Jason, Becky (Erick) and Rachel; grandson, Ethan; mother, Eva Wong Woo; sister, Ellen Wong Lee; and brother, Ron. Services were held at Grace Community Church. Gilbert was laid to rest in Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland, Oregon.      There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Gilbert. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Gilbert Woo for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Gilbert was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones. A memorial service will be held at 2pm, Friday, November 27, 2009 in Grace Community Church: 800 SE Hogan Rd., Gresham, OR 97080