Larry Jin Woo Wong

Wong Chiu Sang (Larry) was born in Toishan, China on August 4, 1926. It was there that he married his wife Sui Sum in 1948, and had his first son, Raymond, and daughter, Terry. Larry immigrated to Canada to join his father in Vancouver and to work as a head chef in Winnipeg. He returned to Hong Kong a number of times to be with his wife and children.

In pursuit of greater opportunity, Larry moved his family to Calgary, Alberta in 1967, and in 1971 he welcomed the birth of his third and youngest child, Jason. It was in Calgary where he founded a local Chinese eatery called the Hi-Ball Restaurant, and worked as owner and head chef for almost three decades. It was a well known local establishment, where his children would help host and wait on tables, while his grandchildren were often seen running around the restaurant and stealing maraschino cherries from the bar!

Food was a way that Larry expressed love and affection to those around him. He loved spending time in the kitchen cooking traditional Toishan recipes for his family, or serving delicious chop suey cuisine to the surrounding local community. Understanding the struggles he faced to start a new life from scratch, without knowing the language or customs of a new country, Larry sought to help younger Chinese immigrants by providing them with employment and cultural support at the Hi-Ball Restaurant. He gave new arrivals their first start, with many becoming life-long friends, and over the years he became a well-respected pillar of the Chinese community.

While family was Larry’s first love, the game of mah-jong was definitely a close second. He was an expert player, often being able to decipher the tiles by feel alone. It was through this game that he cemented strong social ties to those around him, and was known as an extremely generous, kind, and fashionable individual. In his downtime, he was often seen flipping through the newspaper to catch up on current events, or watching sports on TV.

Later in life, Larry loved to travel around the world with his children, visiting places such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, China, and various European cities – which only added to the impressive list of places he visited in his youth such as New Zealand, Hawaii and Fiji. He was also very keen to try the offerings of any local Chinese restaurants at each of these locations, from Edinburgh or Buenos Aires! He had an abundance of vitality in his senior years, often speed walking past those much younger than himself. On January 31, 2022, Larry marked his 70th year in Canada - a proud moment for his family, who owe him so much for the sacrifices he made to start a new life so far from his birthplace.

In his final days, he kept photos of his great grandchildren by his side, looking upon them lovingly during every meal. He passed away peacefully at the Foothills Medical Centre where he received devoted care from staff. He is survived by his son Raymond (Dorothy), daughter Terry (Andrew); son Jason (Seline); grandchildren Michelle (Ashley), Denise, Jennifer (Cam), Stephanie, Joshua, Logan, and Luke; as well as his great grandchildren Cary, Natalie, Jasper, and Jett. He was predeceased by his wife Sui Sum, older sister, and younger brother Jin Ho.