Francis Tim Chui Wong, 61, died Sunday, July 7, 2013, with his wife and his son at his side. He was under hospice care at Our Lady’s Haven, having battled late stage cancer for 22 months.
Born September 3, 1951, in Canton, China, to Wu Shui Foon and the late Chuck Fee Wong, at the age of three he moved to Kowloon and was educated in the Hong Kong school system. At 18, he attended the International Bible College in Saskatchewan, Canada and at age 20, he moved to the SouthCoast, where he resided in Mattapoisett, and became a U.S. citizen. On June 28, 1977, he married Allegra A. (Howard) Wong of Hixville, MA.
In early 1978, he and his wife opened Yon Mah – The Silver Horse, an authentic Chinese restaurant, in East Freetown, raising the bar on the area’s Chinese food offerings in such ways as introducing chow foon noodles locally for the first time and offering made-to-order dishes.
Francis then lived on Oyster Harbors working as a private chef for three years. He then lived in New Bedford for 20 years upon becoming a chef at his family’s restaurant, Cathay Temple, in Mattapoisett. He resided the last eight years in North Dartmouth.
His interests included photography, nature walks with his wife and son, gardening, reading, visiting museums, and cars. He believed strongly in healthful living and organic nutrition; he was a non-smoker his entire life. He was also a movie buff and enjoyed the company of his cats. His volunteer activities included Gifts to Give and Men Who Cook. He was a parishioner of His Love Reaching Church in New Bedford.
He is survived by his wife, Allegra Wong; his son, Emerson Wong, of Las Vegas, Nevada; his mother, Wu Shui Foon of Hong Kong; his two sisters, Cindy So Chun Wong and Sook Chun Wong, of Hong Kong; and his father-in-law, Stanley Howard, of Spring Valley, NV. He is also survived by a nephew and numerous cousins, aunts, and uncles.
Funeral arrangements were made by the Fairhaven Funeral Home. A private service will be held for him in Nevada where he will be laid to rest.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the American Cancer Society (directed to lung cancer) http://donate.cancer.org/ American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718; or Forever Paws Animal Shelter http://www.foreverpaws.com 300 Lynwood Street Fall River, MA 02721.