Frank Chong-Fong Wong

Frank Chong-Fong Wong’s life was one typified by his dedication to his family, friends, and community. Frank was born to his beloved parents Pak and Siu Kuen Wong in a village near Guangzhou, China in 1936. A trailblazer and visionary, he utilized his brilliant mind to pave a future not only for his family but also Asian Americans in San Diego. To most, he will be remembered for creating the Convoy District as it is known today. Alongside his family, he also developed many other properties, residential and commercial throughout the community. To his friends and family, Frank will be remembered for his relentless work ethic and fierce loyalty.

As the first-born child and son, Frank’s parents entrusted him with their hopes of making a better life for their family by way of education. He was raised in a small village in China during a time of uncertainty. His mother and grandmother protected Frank and his sister, Bonnie, from the violence of the Japanese invasion during World War II, while Frank’s father at the time was living in Burma. After the war, his father came back to China and worked several construction jobs to provide for the family and to support Frank’s education. Seeing his parents work hard to secure a better life for him and his siblings instilled in him his strong work ethic and commitment to his family. Throughout Frank’s time in school, he worked multiple jobs to not only support himself but also his parents, five younger siblings, and future dreams. At 22 years old, Frank left home and studied in Wuhan, China. After graduating from high school in 1959, he went to Australia and attended the University of Melbourne. Frank eventually saved enough money to immigrate to the United States and continued his studies at Utah State University in 1960.

After graduating from Utah State University, he moved from Logan, Utah to San Diego, California. When looking for a place to call his home, Frank found the love of his life, his wife Carolyn. It was serendipity that Carolyn’s father owned the boarding house where Frank was staying. After a year of dating, they got married and had five beautiful daughters. As a testament to his dedication to his family, he decided to make drastic life changes so that he could live a long, healthy life with his daughters. This included losing a significant amount of weight and quitting smoking. He set expectations for all of his children. They would each earn a college degree and attend and graduate from graduate school. Frank and Carolyn were supportive and interactive parents who helped with homework, attended performances, and exposed their children to the world through yearly family vacations. A tradition he and Carolyn proudly maintained as their children grew up was enjoying a family dinner out every Friday evening. The weekly dinners on Fridays for seven eventually became dinner for 17 when his daughters, their spouses and children were in town together. This focus on spending quality time together instilled in their children a true love and loyalty to family. Frank and Carolyn encouraged close relationships with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. These bonds have remained strong and everlasting over four generations.

To support his growing family and sponsor the immigration of his siblings to the United States, Frank worked as a civil engineer. He started working for a private sector firm in San Diego and contributed to various projects including the Sports Arena, now known as Pechanga Arena. As he progressed in his career, Frank had greater ambitions and in 1971 he cofounded Burkett and Wong Engineering (BWE) with Robert (Bob) Burkett. BWE became a highly successful structural and civil engineering firm that completed over 14,000 projects across San Diego county. BWE continues today and is a proud employee-owned company that is an enduring legacy to Frank and Bob’s vision.

Frank was perhaps best known for being a savvy businessman and real estate visionary, surpassing limits and boundaries. His dream was not only to start a company but to own and develop real estate. Although Frank was an immigrant from humble beginnings, he had a vision and a firm belief that he could achieve his ambitious goals. With the support of his wife and his father-in-law, they were able to purchase their first property, developing an apartment building on Alabama Street. After the success of his first few properties, Frank looked to new opportunities to invest in San Diego, which led him to transforming Convoy Street into a hub for Asian business and commerce. In 1979, he partnered with Jennings Hom to open Woo Chee Chong. At the time, Convoy was predominantly empty land and industrial buildings. Woo Chee Chong became a pivotal grocery store catering to the Asian community. Frank became a visionary, attracting the Asian community to establish their businesses in the Convoy area, which decades later would develop its unique identity as the Convoy District.

Frank always prioritized working with family. As Frank and Carolyn’s real estate portfolio continued to grow, he included his brothers and sisters in the family business. Together, the Wong family has purchased, developed, and managed properties across San Diego. Frank never boasted about his own achievements but attributed success as a family endeavor. He was very proud of his family's ability to cooperatively work together. He celebrated everyone's academic success. The prosperity of the family business ensured that the next generation had the opportunity to not only gain bachelor’s degrees but also pursue postgraduate degrees, such as master’s degrees, JDs, and PhDs.

Outside of his love for his family and work, Frank will be remembered for his love for sports. Back when the Clippers played in San Diego, he would take his kids, nieces, and nephews to games. At home, he was often found lounging in his recliner watching whatever games happened to be live. Even in the car, he would listen to Padres radio broadcasts. His love for sports extended beyond spectating, he was also a proficient and avid golfer. A true student of the game, Frank practiced his game whenever he could, even at his home with whiffleballs in the backyard. Even at his advanced age, Frank always wanted to spend time on the golf course with his family and friends. In the final months, he was fortunate to spend time at the golf course providing pointers to his daughters and his nephew as they prepared for a golf retreat.

Frank Wong passed away on the evening of August 13 after a catastrophic fall doing what brought him joy, walking on his latest job site. He spent his final day surrounded by family. He will be deeply missed and forever loved by those who survive him. He is survived by his wife Carolyn; his children Debbie, Julie, Joyce, and Angela; his sons-in-law (Peter, Hubert, and Christopher); his grandchildren Kylee, Samuel, Alexis, Abigail, Lauren, Ming, and Lukas; and his siblings Bonnie, Howard, Joseph, Winnie, and Sophia, and their families. He has been reunited in heaven with his beloved daughter Eva.