Grace Chua Wong

Grace Chua Wong, Solon, OH — Grace Chua Wong of Pittsford and Seneca Falls, NY passed away at Beechwood Medical Center in Beechwood, OH on December 19, 2022 at the age of 99 (100 years old by the Chinese calendar). She was predeceased in 2004 by Benjamin B. Wong, MD, her husband of 55 years.
In the two years and three months preceding her death, she lived with and was cared for by her son Milton Wong, MD, and his wife, Nancy Veto.
Grace — whose Chinese given name was Untin and was called Tina by friends — was born on December 2, 1924 [sic 1923] in Manila, the Philippines to Chua Kian Tiong and Phoebe Kho Guat Hua Chua. The fifth of thirteen children, she was the fourth of nine daughters.
“She was a highly energetic and extroverted individual,” says her nephew Johnson Chua, “which is highly unusual for a Chinese woman of her generation…I believe she will have the angels laughing with her in no time in heaven!”
Grace was generous with her time, sharing her talents as gardener, interior decorator, and master quilter with her large, extended family and her church. She was the natural center of all gatherings as she told stories of life in three countries — China, the Philippines and the United States.
Her grandfather, Kho Seng Iam, was one of the first native Chinese Presbyterian ministers and this legacy of faith informed her life. She was a champion debater; during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, she was an underground radio announcer wanted by the invading military authorities because of her patriotic messages.
In the early sixties, she ran Sun Ya, one of the best Chinese restaurants in Manila. There she learned to cook as she worked with master chefs hired from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Self-taught and known for her good taste, she also ran a small interior design business that counted as clients members of the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
Accepted in medical school, Grace married a classmate before she completed her degree. She and her physician husband immigrated to the United States with their five children as a direct result of the Immigration Act of 1965, which gave preference to gifted professionals. She was adamant that her children pursue higher education even as she worked hard to put them through college. She acted as office manager for her husband’s medical practices in Seneca Falls and in Pittsford, NY, and also for her brother, Dr. Jonathan Chua in Boynton Beach, FL.
She is survived by her children: Marlene, Cynthia, Milton, Benjamin Jr., and Charles; daughters-in-law Nancy Veto and Leilani Valino Wong; and grandchildren Michelle, Matthew, Melissa, Terrence, and Graceanne. She is also survived by five siblings and their families: Edith Beltran (Manila, Philippines); Edison Chua and his wife Naty (Toronto, Canada); David Chua-Eoan (San Diego, CA); Jonathan Chua and his wife Virginia (Palm Beach Gardens, FL); and Betty Chua Lee and her husband Kinson (Watertown, CT and Atlanta, GA).
Calling hours for Grace Wong will take place on Friday, December 30, 2022, from 10am – 12 pm at the All Seasons Chapel, White Haven Memorial Park, 210 Marsh Road, Pittsford, NY 14534. A private interment with family members will follow. A memorial service and celebration of life will be scheduled for the spring, details to be announced.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Rochester Chinese Christian Church, 1524 Jackson Rd., Penfield, NY 14526. https://rochesterccc.org