Victor Ong

Victor Chin Guan Ong, residing in Saskatoon, passed peacefully in hospital on Friday, August 25, 2023, at the age of 79. Victor was born in Teluk Intan, Malaysia, excelled in school and received his Mining Engineering Degree from the University of Formosa, Taiwan. He then struck out on his own, declining a role in the family business and came to Canada with a few dollars in his pocket in 1968 to study Engineering at McGill. The love of his life, Jenny, followed shortly after, and they were married. They lived on love and beef liver. Victor studied diligently and worked in the library to support himself and Jenny, and they bought their first car, a yellow Pinto. Their son, William, arrived in 1970. Victor finished his Masters in Rock Mechanics Mining Engineering in 1971 and worked on his PhD for 2 years but decided not to continue. They moved to Sudbury, where Victor worked for INCO Corp, and they bought their first home when the mortgage rate was 18%. Their second son, Jamie, joined them in 1975, and weekends would often find them fishing Lake Nippissing, and camping in the Fargo van. Victor had the opportunity to work for Potash Corp in Saskatoon, and the family moved in 1981. Victor was known by his colleagues to be a hard worker, dependable, friendly, punctual and thorough, and he was also known to love the food and fun at company picnics and parties. In Saskatoon, they made good lifelong friends with several other Chinese families and enjoyed games and food together often.

Victor always had a hot breakfast and a homemade lunch, made so faithfully by Jenny; he was a bit of a kept man, and he loved it. Victor loved to drive, and Jenny loved to ride, so they were a great team. Together, they took their boys in the brown camper van all over Canada and the US — driving and camping all the way to Washington, to California, to the Grand Canyon. He and Jenny lived simply, grateful for what they had and remembering often the hard, first years in Canada. Victor loved music and if he spent money, it would be on a new stereo, to listen to his favourite vinyls, or in later years, to karaoke with Jenny. And, he loved his Chinese action movies and honour stories; sometimes needing a bigger box TV and later a bigger computer screen to watch them on. As their sons went off to university and got married, he and Jenny traveled more to Malaysia to see their family, went on some cruises, and visited their sons.

William (Will) married Becky, and Jamie married Cara, and then the grandchildren came along. Victor enjoyed playing Lego, reading stories, watching impromptu performances and tagging along to the park or the mall with Jenny and the little ones. Victor was a much-loved a-kong: gentle, encouraging (to be doctors, of course), patient and generous. A-Kong leaves behind a legacy in Samuel (18), Katie Jane (14), Maddox (14), and Kherington (11), and they will miss him. His sons and their wives will remember Victor fondly for his generosity, his healthy appetite, his advice, his caution, and his love of his grandkids. Victor will remain much-loved and will be dearly missed by Jenny, his wife of 54 years. They finished this chapter of love and marriage, as they started it, just the 2 of them.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Make a Wish Foundation Saskatchewan in support of his granddaughter, Kherington. If interested in attending Victor’s celebration ceremony or to provide condolences to his wife Jenny please contact [email protected].