Neva Wong Wall

Frances Owyang raised her in San Francisco’s Chinatown District. Frances passed away when she was an adolescent. Neva and her young brother, Donald Mar, moved in with Frances’ sister, Ruby, and her four sons.

Neva graduated from Galileo High School in 1946 and began working for the Internal Revenue Service, San Francisco.

She married Lawrence Lim in October of 1950 and had two children, Lauren Lim-Owyoung and Darryl Lim. They raised their children in San Francisco’s North Beach District until their marriage dissolved in November of 1972.

She met Paul Wall while working for the Internal Revenue Service. They became life partners in 1973. 

She retired as a supervisor for the Criminal Investigation Division, Administration Department in January 1979.

Neva and Paul Wall married on March 17, 1985 in a small ceremony at the Empress of China, San Francisco.

Neva and Paul divided their lives between Maui, Hawaii and San Francisco, California for almost three decades.  They loved travel and explored Europe, Asia, Australia, and the U.S. They spent 52 years together before Paul passed away in June 2025.

Neva had a vibrant, loving, spirited soul. She was funny and had a sharp wit. She was a huge sports fan and loved the Golden State Valkyries, Golden State Warriors, SF Giants, and the SF 49ers. Her Chinese Cooking, her Sticky Rice, Cream Puffs, and Cowboy Cookies were legendary. She welcomed everyone into her home with open arms and was a mother and grandmother to all. She lived an independent, mobile, social life as a widow the past year and was tremendously loved. She has left an indelible mark on every person she has ever met and will be greatly missed.

Neva is survived by her daughter Lauren Lim-Owyoung (Richard Owyoung), her son Darryl Lim (Rikk Walker), her four-legged granddaughter Bao Bao (4 year old Havanese Dog), and her brother Donald Mar (Nancy Mar).

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly invite those who wish to honor Neva Wall’s memory to make a donation to San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. https://sfghf.org/