Honored Members of the Sacramento Ong Ko Met Association
There is an old Chinese proverb that says “When an elder leaves us, a whole library disappears.” It is true that the stories from our Ong Ko Met elders have not been preserved as well as we would like. The wisdom these stories held have been lost forever. So, we seek to preserve the history of the Ong Ko Met by collecting our member’s stories.
Sam Kimsal Ong
Sam Kimsal Ong passed away on March 14, 2017 at age 84. The son of David Sun Ong and Yem Tang Ong, he was born in Ping On Lay Village (Hoiping) near Guangzhou, China. Sam started from humble beginnings as a “paper son” immigrant. He served in the Korean War, earned his pharmacy degree at Idaho State University, and worked as a pharmacist at Thrifty Drug Store for 30 years.
Sam served as a six-term President of the Ong Ko Met Benevolent Association of Sacramento from 2014-2016 and was bestowed the position of President Emeritus in 2016. An exceptional leader and innovative pioneer, his Executive Board included the first women to have ever served as Officers and on the Board of Directors of any Chinese Benevolent Association in the western United States.
He was also the founder and co-founder of many Asian political, cultural, and social organizations in the greater Sacramento area.
A longtime advocate for veterans and Asian Americans, he served as Commander of the American Legion Gung Ho Post No. 696 and Commander of the Veterans Affiliated Council of Sacramento and Vicinity. He was also President of the Organization of Chinese Americans-Sacramento chapter from 2001 to 2003.
A loving and dedicated family man, he is survived by his wife Peggy; his children Elaine Ong, MD (Sung Choe), Yvonne Ong, MD (Kip Leong), Michael Ong, MD,PhD (Kimberly Ong), and Elisa Tong, MD, MA (Tony Tong); his seven grandchildren; and his sisters Lai Mar and Jeanette Mar (Dennis Mar). The funeral was held on Sunday, March 26, 2017 at Harry A. Nauman & Son Funeral Home on Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento. Interment was held at East Lawn Memorial Park in East Sacramento.
Waltman Ong
Waltman Ong passed away on Tuesday, February 11th, 2014. Waltman was born in Hoi Ping, Canton, China on October 29, 1932 and immigrated to the United States in 1949 with his mother Pauline and his brother Kanman to join his father Stanley, who was already working in America.
During his teenage years, Waltman worked alongside his family at their grocery store, the Stockton Boulevard Market. He would go there immediately after school and work until evening, helping in many areas of the business, including making deliveries to customers in the store’s truck. >He graduated from Sacramento High School with the Class of 1953 and then served in the US Army assigned to an artillery unit from 1953-1956. While in the military, he made several friends with whom he continued to correspond after being discharged and returning home to Sacramento.
He later worked at the Food City supermarket on Franklin Blvd until joining his brother Kanman at a new family grocery business, the Airway Market on Freeport Blvd. He specialized in produce and managed the meat department. He enjoyed talking and joking with customers. After work, he was a regular at the New Lu Shan restaurant on J St., becoming good friends with the staff and staying to help clean up at closing time.
In his younger days, Waltman enjoyed driving, taking road trips and cruising around town. He owned two Porsches: a silver then a red one, but his love of outdoorsman sports: fishing and hunting eventually won out and he sold the sports car and switched to trucks so he could tow his bass boat. He loved bass fishing from a boat, often saying, “Fishing from the shore is for lazy people.” He would spend every day-off exploring the creeks of the region with his numerous fishing buddies. Afterwards, he would drive around to family and friend’s homes to drop-off fish after a good day’s catch.
During one of these trips, Walt was dropping off fish to a relative in San Francisco when he happened to meet a lady who was visiting the same relative. The next week, he showed up there again with more fish, probably hoping to see the lady again. He did see her that day and they continued seeing each other and Mei Shem became his wife in 1991. After his retirement, Walt and Mei split their time between Sacramento and San Francisco to take care of Mei’s parents. He also continued to enjoy fishing whenever he got the chance.
Waltman was predeceased by his parents Stanley and Pauline Dong and brother Kanman. He is survived by his wife Mei, sister-in-law Gayle, niece Cyndy and nephew Collin.
A memorial service was held at the Sacramento Memorial Lawn, 6100 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA. 95824 on Friday, February 21, 2014 at 1:00 pm.
Sam Kimsal Ong
Joseph Chew Tang passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 30, 2014 at the age of 91. He is survived by Katherine, his beloved wife of over 60 years and brother Jack (Jeanne). He is also survived by his son Alan, daughter Patty (Jimmy), and grand-children Mitchell and Natalie. He was known to his family, friends, and business associates as Joe. Family and friends knew Joe as an independent, sociable, outspoken, and competitive man.
Joe was born on May 21, 1923 to Fred and Wong Shee Tang in the Chinese farming village of Yun Hing Lai. His early life was spent in China in Yun Hing Lai and Guangchou. Since his father returned to America and he was separated from his mother so that he could be with his grandmother, Joe did not have much of a childhood family life. Joe came to America in 1938 and lived briefly in San Francisco with his father. In 1940, he moved to Sacramento to be near others who came from Yun Hing Lai. It was here that he formed his close lifelong friendships with Kai Fat and Frank Louie. He attended Lincoln Junior High School and Sacramento High School. As a teen, Joe worked and lived on his own which further developed his independent and self-reliant character.
Joe served in the U. S. Army near the end of the Second World War, He was stationed in Kunming, China in a liaison unit between the U.S. Army and the Nationalist Chinese army. Because of his service, he became a life member of the VFW. After the war, Joe returned to Sacramento and obtained his Associate of Arts degree in business at Sacramento City College. He also attended Golden Gate Business School and obtained his real estate and insurance licenses.
Joe met Katherine Quan through mutual friends and dated for over a year. They married on August 20, 1950. After a brief time in Oakland they moved and settled in Sacramento and remained married for over sixty years. They raised two children Alan and Patty. In later years, they travelled to China and other asian countries several times including visits to his childhood village. Joe started a food brokerage business with a partner in 1958. In the early 1960s, he successfully moved out on his own and was an independent sales representative for various companies to the growing Chinese owned supermarkets in the Sacramento region. His sales territory gradually expanded into general supermarket chains and into the Bay Area and the Central Valley. He was also active with the Ong Ko Met Association. Joe retired in 1991.
Joe’s passion outside of work was golf. Joe began playing golf in 1959 and enjoyed it for the following sixty years. He belong to the Sacramento Chinese Golf Club to which he served as president in 1985. He also belonged to the Sacramento Senior Chinese Golf Club and the Dry Creek Golf Club. His most memorable golf moment was getting a hole-in-one in a major business tournament at Dry Creek’s fifth hole in front of more than 70 people.
A memorial service was held at the East Lawn Memorial Park Chapel, 4300 Folsom Boulevard, Sacramento, CA. 95819 on 11:00 am, Tuesday, June 10, 2014. In lieu of flowers, donations were made to ACC Senior Services.
Jeanne C. Dong
Jeanne C. Dong of Sacramento, California passed away at the age of 85 on Sunday, November 3, 2013, as she was surrounded by her loving family. Born as Fong Chun Ngen on February 4, 1928 in Gim Wah Li Village, Toishan, China, Jeanne married Paul C. Dong, a US Army veteran, on December 26, 1947. She would later work at the State Board of Equalization and retired in 1987. Jeanne was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Paul, and three sons: Harvey (Beatrice), Alvin (Elaine), and Michael (Anna); and daughter Julia (Eugene); 11 grandchildren: Kevin (Gloria), Henry, Nina, Daniel, Joyce, Christopher, Suzanne, Justin, Grant, Matthew and Joseph; and two great-grandchildren Nathan and Allison. Jeanne is also survived by her brothers James, Warren, Edward and sisters Pauline and Ruby. Jeanne is preceded in death by her parents Lee Wah Chung, Chin Shee Lee and brother Calvin.
Always strong, loving, and full of life, Jeanne will be remembered for her contagious smile, her quick wit and warm heart. Friends and family were invited to attend the viewing on Friday, November 15, 2013 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at Andrew and Greilich Mortuary. The funeral took place on Saturday, November 16, 2013, starting at 2:00pm at East Lawn Memorial Park, 4300 Folsom Bvld., Sacramento.
