Betty Chow Wong

Betty (Chow) Wong of Brighton on September 29, 2013. Beloved wife of the late Melvin Wong. Loving mother of Stephen Wong and his wife Catherine of Needham, Lilly Liang and her husband Dr. Donald of Bethesda, MD, Donna McDonald and her husband John of Port St. Lucie, FL, Dianne Ritchie and her husband Thomas of Weymouth and Cynthy Whitlock and her husband Robert of Austin, TX. Cherished grandmother of Dr. Christopher Liang, Brian Liang, Sarah Ritchie, Elena Whitlock, Leah Whitlock, Leslie Wong and Lauren Wong. Funeral Service in the Boston Harborside Home, 580 Commercial St., Boston on Saturday at 11am. The family will receive visitors on Friday from 4-8pm and Saturday 9-11am. Services will conclude with interment in Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly, In memoriam of Betty Wong, Attn: Development Office, 30 Wallingford Road, Brighton, MA 02135-4753. For online condolences and/or directions, please visit www.bostonharborsidehome.com

Eulogy by the grandchildren:

Betty Wong was not your average grandmother. She may have only stood five feet tall, but no one could deny her courage and resilience. As the young mother of a toddler and infant, she made the journey to leave communist China to seek a better life in Boston and be reunited with her beloved husband. This marked the beginning of a beautiful life for our grandmother and her family.

Starting their new life in Boston, our grandmother and grandfather went on to have the rest of their five children. Our grandmother was a champion of equal education for ALL her children and was so proud upon becoming a US Citizen. Had she remained in China we envision her leading the marches for women’s rights. What a role model our grandmother was and we can see it in each of our parents. From our grandmother, Lilly clearly is a leader—our own Alpha. Donna has her overwhelming generosity—so are you going to continue the secret little red envelope meetings? Dianne carries on her creative and culinary talents—we’re waiting for the tay tay! Cynthy, her little Bee-Bee, is always nurturing just like our grandmother—you know whom to call if you need a babysitter. Last but not least, the boy they were waiting for, Steve (always taking care of the many women in his life) was constantly told by his mother and four sisters how lucky he was to be surrounded by so many amazing women. So how spoiled do you think you are now, Steve? These are just some of the remarkable qualities our parents possess as a result of our proud grandmother, but one standout trait all five children embody is strength.

All of the grandchildren know we have some pretty high standards to live up to! But we also have many fond memories to hold on to as well. Our grandmother was an expert hand holder and could comfort us through any bad dream. She put up with multiple grandchildren climbing all over her big pink recliner in her impeccably clean house. It’s a good thing her furniture was plastic wrapped. She dared to go on Thunder Mountain Rollercoaster at Disney World without any question, although many regrets later. All of us have a different favorite meal she would cook for us. It may have been bitter melon, jok jok, tay, steamed egg, or soup—these were our comfort foods and no one else could make them but her. We never left her house with an empty stomach nor empty handed, always bringing plenty of perfectly packaged leftovers home.

All five of her children and all seven of her grandchildren are bound by her legacy. We will always miss and love her and feel so honored that she was the matriarch of our family.