George Emmanuel Wong, 80, of Las Vegas, Nevada, passed away on September 26, 2021, after a recent metastatic cancer diagnosis. George died peacefully at home with his wife of 53 years and his children and grandchildren at his side.
Although he resided in Las Vegas for 41 years, George's heart belonged to Seychelles, his birth country. George was born on March 16, 1941, on La-Digue island, population 1,500. He was the fourth child out of twelve siblings.
George attended Seychelles College, a Catholic boarding school on the main island, Mahe. There he excelled in education and sports. In 1959, he sat for the Cambridge O-level exam, and soon after, attended the Police Academy in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1963, George graduated from Hendon Police College in London. After graduating, he spent seven years in the Seychelles Police force.
In 1967, George left the police force to join a political movement that strongly advocated Seychelles independence from England and a stronger safety net for Seychellois who had suffered inequalities during colonization. His political career was short-lived as he and the party he was affiliated with lost in the election in 1976. George's fairness and human decency were tested when the party he was once affiliated with took the country by force in a coup d’état on June 5, 1977. His outspokenness of their policies landed him in prison for three weeks in 1978. The condition of his release was that he would have to leave the country because the regime in power deemed him a threat "to national security."
With the help of the American Embassy, and his mother-in-law sponsoring the family, George, his wife Lindy, and their five daughters landed in Las Vegas on September 13, 1980. He worked for Teamsters #631 until he retired in 2012. George was passionate about cooking, preparing a nightly feast for the family after a long day of working. His cuisine over the years served as a central point of gathering for friends and family. He and Lindy shared a passion for gardening, he tended to the fruits and vegetables, and Lindy the flowers. Since childhood, he was a voracious reader of books and consumer of news. He loved to engage in conversations about current affairs and many times stating his opinion as fact. George also loved to play table poker and mahjong.
Over the years, traveling to Seychelles for his family reunion and visiting friends rejuvenated his soul and spirit. The old stories told countless of times and even embellished by the storytellers would spark tremendous joy.
George is survived by his wife, Lindy Wong, and daughters, Karin Wong, Hazel Wong, Pamela Wong, Carol O'Connor, and Lynn Kirk. His three granddaughters; Zehra and Zoe Cheatham, Ashlyn O'Connor, grandsons, Billy O'Connor, and Brady and Ryan Kirk. His five sisters: Anita Hoareau, Josuane Duckworth, Marguerite Mancienne, Peggy Vidot, and Nella Mussard; four brothers; Yvon, Phillipe, Ronald, and Tony Wong, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother, Alfrelia Wong; Father, Napoleon Wong; brother Gerald Wong and sister; Yvonne Choppy.
A visitation for George will be held Friday, October 15, 2021 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Palm Cheyenne Mortuary, 7400 West Cheyenne Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89129. A funeral service will occur Saturday, October 16, 2021 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Palm Cheyenne Mortuary.
Contributions in George's memory may be made to Three Square, https://www.threesquare.org/.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmcheyenne.com for the Wong family.
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