Mr. Wann-Lung Jong was born on October 18, 1929 in TouFen, Taiwan. He was the fourth of eleven children, with nine brothers and one little sister. His father had difficulty supporting the family in TouFen and moved to HuaLien when Wann-Lung was young. His father was more successful in HuaLien, but the family still struggled.
Wann-Lung was educated under Japanese occupation during most of his HuaLien High School education. He was the center on his high school volleyball team, and his playing was impressive enough to get him a job to save up tuition before he started college. He went to National Defense Medical College on scholarship and graduated with a degree in pharmacology despite the difficult transition from the Japanese to Chinese system.
After college, he served his two years in the military as a pharmacy officer in National Army hospitals. After his service, he worked as a pharmaceutical rep for the Japanese company Taketa. It was during this time that he met the love of his life, Su-Chin, who was a samples administrator at Taketa, and they married in 1959. He then worked for Pfizer, AH Robins (maker of Robitussin and ChapStick), and finally started his own company importing pharmaceuticals.
Wanting a better future for their children, he and Su-Chin decided to emigrate from Taiwan to the U.S. in 1980. He first went to Boston where his younger brother #6 helped him set up a small hotel gift shop. Unfortunately, he did not find Boston and its climate comfortable or welcoming, so he decided to go back to Taiwan. Fortunately, Su-Chin’s brother Ken invited him to visit Houston before leaving the U.S. Once he arrived in Houston, with its booming vibrant economy and warm weather, he decided to stay and make Houston his home.
He went back to Taiwan to move his whole family to the U.S. at age 50. Unable to work as a pharmacist in the U.S., he went to Texas Instruments and worked the assembly line for a few months. He then opened a laundromat where he and Su-Chin worked long, hard hours for many years. After the children went away to college, they decided to sell the laundromat and opened Cathay Foods, manufacturer of egg rolls. He worked tirelessly to expand the business, driving to different towns to bring samples to the local Chinese restaurants and restaurant suppliers. After nearly two decades, he retired from the factory and passed management to his son-in-law Richard.
Wann-Lung was active in serving the community. In Taiwan, he served four years as an officer of the Taipei Pharmacist Association. He and Su-Chin were very active in church and founded a small group fellowship with friends. He was very involved in the Houston Formosan Evergreen Association, serving as an officer and then as President for two terms. Under his leadership, this organization grew to become a great community asset for the Taiwanese seniors. Using his pharmaceutical background, he continued to contribute many health articles for the Evergreen Association Periodical. Being a Hakka, he was active in the Hakka Association as a consultant for several years. He served as a chairman of the Hakka Cultural Education Foundation, where he had the foresight to set up the Hakka Achievement Award to encourage the younger generation.
He could speak, read, and write three languages and was fluent in three dialects of Chinese. He was a proud and resourceful handyman who was capable of fixing things around the house, even building a long platform in his kitchen because the counters were too tall for his wife. Inspired by his youngest brother opening a Chinese restaurant in Houston, he took cooking classes with a chef in Taipei while awaiting the family’s visa to America. His best dish was sweet and sour pork which he sadly could rarely enjoy after he was diagnosed with diabetes in his 50’s, but he continued to research and collect various recipes.
An avid golfer, he and his friends started birthday golf tournaments followed by awards dinners with spouses. He picked up gardening in his retirement, and his backyard garden generated a variety of vegetables and squashes for family and friends to enjoy over the years. He had the discipline to maintain a healthy lifestyle following his diabetic diet and daily physical activities of walking, gardening, and golfing. He even completed the Annual Rodeo Run senior division at age 80! He also loved playing Mahjong, which he could still enjoy in his later years despite weakening of his body. Even toward the last days of his life, the only activity his grandchildren could entice him with to get out of bed was playing Mahjong.
He and Su-Chin were married for over 60 years, raising four children and eight grandchildren. He was very glad that all his children found personal and professional happiness living close by in Houston. After his beloved wife suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed on the left side in 2013, he took care of her tirelessly until her passing in late 2019. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer at age 84 which was recurrent despite multiple treatments. At age 89, he successfully underwent bladder removal surgery. After his wife passed away the following year and during the ensuing pandemic years, his health gradually declined. In the evening of March 27, 2023, he passed away peacefully in his home having lived a happy and fulfilling 93 years.
Mr. Jong is survived by his children, Sherry, Sue, Kevin and Joe, their spouses Richard, Charles, Janet, and Grace, grandchildren Chelsea, Kaitlyn, Clarise, Jared, Abby, Chloe, Preston, and Kiki, 3rd brother 鍾萬良and his wife 梁月英, 5th brother 鍾萬逢and his wife 江玉妹, 6th brother Wann-Shiun Jong and his wife Li Chen, 9th brother 鍾萬東, 10th brother Wann-Nam Jong, sister Susan Huang and her husband Floyd Huang, sisters-in-law 黃寶妹 and 陳芳蘭, and many nephews and nieces.
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On behalf of our family, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for your kindness, encouragement, and support. We truly appreciate your time to attend the memorial service in person or online.
May God’s Grace be with you.
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In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to Mr. Wann-Lung Jong’s favorite charitable organizations:
Hakka Cultural Education Foundation of Houston
Formosan Presbyterian Church in Greater Houston
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鍾萬隆先生生平事略
先父鍾萬隆先生於1929 年10 月18 日生於苗栗縣頭份鎮,於十兄弟和最小妹妹中排行第四。
幼時隨父母遷移花蓮經商,辛苦養育十一子女。
先父小學初中至花蓮高中初期受日本教育,是高中排球校隊中鋒,頗受激賞,高中畢業後考
上國防醫學院藥學系,雖功課繁重加上日本教育轉中文困難,每年成績仍得獎學金。畢業後曾任
陸軍第二與第三總醫院藥劑官2 年,退伍後任職日本武田藥廠總代理商藥廠代表,因此認識在同
公司當藥劑樣品管理員的先母蕭素卿女士,於1959 年結婚。之後轉至Pfizer,AHRobins 擔任主
任代表,多年後改自營進口藥品。
為子女的前途,近50 歲的先父和先母決定移民美國。先到波士頓六叔處,但因六叔不久之後
就被調離別州,且當地氣候太冷,人情淡薄,車子又被偷竊,灰心之際,幸先母大弟邀請探訪休
士頓,休市當時經濟蒸蒸日上,氣候暖和,因此全家移居休市。
先父到達休士頓曾任職德州儀器公司,開洗衣店及春捲工廠,勵志開發事業,不辭勞苦開車
到德州大小城鎮中餐館推銷產品,事業蒸蒸日上,生意興隆,退休後工廠交予大女婿管理至今。
先父從年輕就熱心服務社區,在台曾擔任台北藥劑師公會理事,在休士頓教會也非常活躍,
是組織愛主團契的主要動力。退休後參加台灣長春會,曾任理事及兩任會長,在其任內長春會成
長為休士頓台灣人社區的重要社團之一。 卸任後,引用藥學專業背景繼續在報章雜誌發表醫學常
識文章為大衆解答病痛疑難。身為客家人,先父也非常熱心客家社團活動,曾任客家會顧問及客
家文教基金會主任委員,深具遠見提創客家成就獎激勵青少年競業精神。
先父語言能力強,精通中,日,英文,及客,台語。家裡大小修理蓋造靈活,70 歲時還在新
家造廚房地台方便個子嬌小的愛妻。他喜歡研究食譜,或許他十弟在休市開中餐館給他靈感,準
備遷美前還曾拜師學做菜,可惜學的招牌菜是糖醋排骨,五十多歲診斷糖尿病後就少煮這道菜了。
先父愛打高爾夫球,退休後幾乎天天練球,常與球友組織生日高爾夫球賽及慶祝晚餐。喜歡
種菜養花,退休在後院搭瓜菜棚架澆水設備,豐盛收成各樣瓜菜水果分享親友。他堅毅且自律,
患糖尿病,進食節制,每天散步,或整理庭園,或打球,80 歲時還參加Rodeo Run 高齡組的步
行賽,十分得意參賽號牌T-恤高掛牆上。打麻將也是愛好之一,是晚期體力衰減後唯一的樂趣。
先父先母結婚60 年育二女二男及八個孫子女,兒女都在休市成家立業,家庭美滿。當先母素
卿於2013 年中風半身不遂,雖隔年自己也診斷膀胱癌,但他持續照顧愛妻無微不至,幾乎每禮拜
不惜辛苦陪她去教會和樂樂合唱團以及其它社團活動來取悅她身心,直到先母於2019 年底歸主。
自其愛妻歸主後加上疫情、健康慢慢衰退,於2023 年3 月27 日傍晚五點半蒙主恩召,到天家與
愛妻重聚。
遺族
兒女 香芸 淑貞 曜聰 明洲
婿媳 錢英源 鄭春剛 余真悅 謝齡慧
孫子女 錢正苓 鍾凱玲 鄭逸理 鍾興傑 鍾凱嫻 鄭逸寧 鍾興培 鍾晏如
二嫂 黃寶妹
三哥 鍾萬良 三嫂 梁月英
五弟 鍾萬逢 五弟媳 江玉妹
六弟 鍾萬勳 六弟媳 陳麗端
八弟媳 陳芳蘭
九弟 鍾萬東
十弟 鍾萬南
妹 鍾綉靜 妹婿 黃文昭
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衷心感謝大家關愛撥空參加先父的追思禮拜
您的關懷予我們溫暖安慰
願上帝的恩典與您同在
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奠儀拒收
煩請直接捐贈以下慈善機構紀念鍾萬隆先生
休斯頓客家文教基金會
休士頓台灣基督長老教會
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