Barbara and Doug gave us the warmest welcome when we moved into the neighborhood many years ago. Since then. we have been good friends and wonderful neighbors. 

Barbara was very caring and generous.  She referred us to the local services they had good experiences with and often treated us with her baked goods, jams, and harvests from her garden.  

Even when she faced the later stages of her illness, Barbara remained strong, humorous and graceful. She encouraged everyone who knew her to see life as a journey, reminding us there’s nothing to be feared. 

It’s hard to accept that Barbara is now living in another place.  

I still remember hearing her garage door opening and closing in the early morning on workdays, seeing her picking up the newspaper and mail down the hill with her dog and cat on the weekend, our conversations on why her cat needed a leash, and many other cherished memories.

Barbara will live on in our memory too. 

With all our love,
William, Isis and David

We know that Barbara was only one person to the world, but to me she was my world! Even though Barbara’s earthly body may have failed her, her memory will be carried on by those whose life she so touched!

In January 2022 my loving wife of 28 years, Barbara Wong, was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive, stage IV Thymic cancer. For over two years, she faced the battle and challenge with incredible strength, acceptance, and determination for a cure. After putting up an unbelievable fight, she passed peacefully at 7:00 A.M. on July 30th 2024, at Marin Health ICU, Greenbrae, California.

We all know Barbara had amazing work ethics, but she also had amazing skills in the kitchen.  Not only was she an amazing cook, but her baking & canning skills were top notch! She would work all hours of the night preparing cookies & snacks for her Chevron family & friends as well as all the Holiday events!  

Gardening was another of her passions. She would spend hours until sunset, working on her veggies and her massive rose garden. 

I still find it difficult to acknowledge that Barbara is not somewhere in the house or outside in her garden. However, our family cats know she is missing, especially when it comes to feeding time or seeking out their bedtime companion! Though we sadly never had any children, Barbara was a lifetime dedicated cat lover! Over 28 years of marriage, we gave our “forever home” to ten kittens and two dogs. Now left behind, scattered throughout our home, is every cat toy known to mankind!

Not knowing what the future held for Barbara, on Barbara’s 2023 Christmas card I wrote, “Whatever life sends our way, you’re the one I’ll always want by my side!”
	
I know I cannot bring you back-                                                                                            	Although I wish it every day-                                                                                                             	But a piece of me went with you-                                                                                                                                                                         	The day you went away!

God  has gained another angel way too soon! Barbara, you are so missed. Rest in peace my dear wife and friend!
	Love you forever-
		Doug

Dear God & Heavenly Angels, I hope you are enjoying Barbara’s amazing almond & chocolate chip cookies!! 


Aunt Barbara ,
I Will Miss You
I will always cherish the childhood memories and later into adult life I wished there was more time to spend with You 
A memory of your Talents of  baking everything from scratch 
You’ve fought a hard battle Rest In Peace 
I know your in Heaven with my Grandmother, Grandfather,, My Mother, Father, and Baby Sister
I’ll Always have  You in my Thoughts for the rest of my days here on earth 
God Bless You
Love your nephew 
Anthony

I remember while we were both going to college Barbara looked forward to ushering at UA Centennial Hall because she would see plays & concerts for free.  She stayed in shape biking everywhere. 
 
Barbara was the baker in the family. There was always baked treats to munch on during study breaks.

I shorten Barbara’s name to Barb when I talked to her. My 3 children cherished the hand made personalized Xmas stockings she made for them. She would always send Xmas ornaments. 

My last happy memory of Barb will always be of us-3 sisters:Judie,Barb,& me-laughing at lunch how old we’ve  gotten. I will miss Barb’s joking, teasing, her laughter, her smile, and how happy she was married to Doug. 
Love you Barb!

Doug,
Your family on the East coast sends our thoughts and sympathy to you. You have been a constant support to Barb through this very challenging time. May Barb rest in peace knowing her cats, and the local deer, are in your gentle care.
Love,
Judy and Teun

Barbie,

My friend,  i have this emptyness in my heart.
 You are the nicest, kindness, loviest person i ever met in my life.
You were my school buddy and had a blast being together at THS!
I will always keep you in my prayers and i am devestated we didnt speak much but i know now you are free from pain  and you have joined your parents and family.
May God bless you and protect you and have him try some of your wonderful cookies he is going to love them as we all did.
love you forever,
Fred Tarazon

PART 3 of 3

I used to joke around with B and tell her that I also felt like a stray dog sometimes because she would give me boxes of treats as well. She was the most generous soul—generous with her time, her love, her kindness, as well as her food.

I wouldn’t describe B as shy. She was a private, reserved, and simple person who carried herself with a quiet grace that hid flexibility, tolerance, strength, and fierceness—qualities that proved useful when she started to face all the health issues that challenged her one after the other the last couple of years.

Her coping mechanisms during those years did not seem to falter, and she didn’t seem to be overwhelmed despite the numerous appointments and scans she had to do. She just regained her balance and refocused quickly on what needed to be done—much like the B I knew at work. She got the job done, despite the stress and exhaustion of it all, and she continued to be lively and engaged all the while fighting one of the rarest types of cancer.  She used to say, “I won the lotto on this one,” but not with any bitterness or remorse. Just her usual quick wit and a quiet acceptance and determination to overcome “another obstacle in life.” This has to be the fencing champion in her; she just went into combat mode. She fought hard and never once complained. She was fearless.

How lucky was I to have jumped into her orbit when I did, but how sad that it was only for a few years.  I cherish all of those years.  She was a true friend to me.

I may not be one of her favorite people, but just so she knows…she was mine.

Sending you love on the other side, B.  We miss you.

~ Sue Silao, “Kiddo”

PART 1 of 3

I called her, “B”.

I met B at work over 16 years ago. She was friendly and calm with a strong work ethic and real dedication to her projects. These qualities truly made her an asset to the group she worked with and she was valued and well respected for it.

Being B’s friend in and outside of work was easy and fun.  Not only did we bounce executive event ideas off one another, but on the fun side, we bonded over our shared love for collecting cookbooks and silver bracelets (she wore at least seven silver cuffs on one arm).   I also never knew anyone who shared my love for Nordic Ware bundt pans.  We laughed about that bit of trivia all the time.  

We especially loved Halloween and Christmas and through the years we would plan the Halloween shindigs at work that started out as a normal, “overload your co-workers with candy and cakes” affair to what is now remembered as a full-blown Halloween Costume Party.  B was the Mastermind behind all of those events and planning them brought her so much joy.  Christmas, on the other hand, was a whole different level of craziness. She loved to shop for ornaments, and she always baked hundreds of cookies—about six to seven different kinds that total about 300 cookies in each batch. She would pack them all so nicely and give them to friends and family.  Any holiday was also time for Prime Rib, one of her favorite meals.

She was a true baking expert and a master craftswoman, operating at a highly creative and professional level.  She was extremely talented and highly skilled at practically every hobby, including sewing, knitting, paper crafting and stamped designs.  We obsessed over anything from paper punches and glitter to cookie cutters, icing tips, and sprinkles.  No one will ever forget her bourbon cake, pineapple cookies, and almond cookies (whoever got a copy of that recipe has inherited a gold mine).

PART 2 of 3

She also loved making jam and jelly and tending to her garden.  I’ve spent many an afternoon talking to her via FaceTime while watching her stir a massive pot of jam or walking around the garden with her and looking at her roses and the latest sprouts from her vegetable garden.

Sometimes when we would share recipes and talk about cooking, she would talk about her mom—how she was a great cook and how she wished she had her recipes written down. It seemed like she spent a lot of time trying to tweak certain recipes with the goal of making them taste as close to what she remembered eating as a child.

Our conversations weren’t always about cooking and crafting. Most of the time we talked about life in general and the challenges we faced. She was the best counselor one could ever ask for. She was perceptive and thoughtful with sharpened instincts that were well honed from years of experience. She always paid attention to everything you said and really listened to every word.  She had simple, uncomplicated relationships with the people she cared about.  She was trustworthy, compassionate, kind, and empathetic.  She knew exactly what to say to lighten the mood and make you laugh and what to say on days when you needed help with dealing with life's unexpected blows to the gut.

She cared a lot—for the people close to her and for the animals she loved. She may have had dogs and really found joy in her cats, but she extended her love and care towards the wild animals that seemed to have gravitated towards her home—mostly deer and raccoons. These animals brought their whole family with them too and would patiently wait for B to finish chopping up carrots or break up little treats of cookies and bread and whatever else she had on hand. They trusted her explicitly and saw her as their personal caretaker, the Fur Mama they never thought they would want or need.

Barbara was a very sweet, nice, warm, loving, and fun-loving friend
 (and an amazing baker and cook).
I will miss our conversations. It was an honor to know her and be her friend!!

My heart felt sad when I heard of Barbara passing away. My prayers go out to her family and friends.  Barbara was a dear friend of mine.  I knew Barbara since 7th grade.  We would meet up at the High School reunions here in Tucson.  She was a charming and special person to me.  She will be missed dearly.

I only worked with Barbara for a couple of years, but she exemplified our Chevron culture and role modeled what a caring and considerate colleague should be in any company.  I will miss her almond cookies, excitement for Halloween, and the empathy and care she exhibited daily for her coworkers.  

My condolences to her family and loved ones.  Gone too soon....

Frieda and I met up with Barbara when she was in Tucson. We had such fun! She was such a kind and creative person.

Barbara at the Giants Game on Hello Kitty Day

Barbara was so conscientious, detail oriented, and creative in her work. She was the kind of person who quietly and diligently took care of all of the thankless details behind the scenes to make executive events magically seem effortlessly perfect and her team and bosses look great. I feel so lucky to have known Barbara. She spoiled us all with her candy jar and baked treats and crafts on all of the holidays (or sometimes for no occasion at all.) Her Halloween spreads were truly epic. I loved talking with her about Halloween plans, crafting, baking, and Hello Kitty. And her famous homemade almond cookies - wow do I miss those. I remember how hard she laughed when I told her that my family calls almond cookies “toenail cookies”. She brought play and joy into our work days. Rest In Peace, Barbara. You are missed

Barbara at another amazing Halloween party

Barbara was a fun and kind soul. She worked hard on our THS 50th Reunion and made it more fun! She loved her husband and her cats. She fought hard to prolong her life. A brave soul! I will miss her.

Dear Barbara, I've been thinking so much about you lately, and there's so much I wish I could have said to you.  It's hard to believe that I won't be receiving any more of your beautiful Christmas letters.   I always looked forward to those letters -- hearing about what you'd been up to, your latest crafting adventures, and just getting a glimpse into your life, no matter how far away we were.
     I never got to tell you how much I envied your incredible talents as a tailor and seamstress.  You had a gift that few people possess, and I was always in awe of the things you could create.   I wish I had told you more often how much I admired this about you.
     And then there was your love and care for Doug and the joy your cats brought you.
     I wish I had told you more often how much I loved you, how proud I was of you, and having you as my sister.
     You will always be in my heart and know through your quiet demeanor the impact you had on others.   Rest in peace, dear sister.   You are loved and missed more than words can say.
With all my love, 
Carol Farrall

Family, friends and fellow Badgers of Tucson High School -

This is one of the most difficult posts that I have written on Facebook!

This morning I received a call from our fellow classmate (Barbara Wong) husband, Doug!  Barbara passed away on the 30th of July after a long illness!

Barbara and I have been friends for 58 years - got to know her back in 7th grade!  We had art class together and have kept in touch all these years since high school!  I will miss her tremendously - she was a dear! ♥️

Hard to describe what a beautiful person Barbara was.   She was deeply devoted to Doug, her work at Chevron, her family and friends and her beloved cats.   She was an example of a life well lived.  Always a strong work ethic, generous spirit, talented crafter and amazing baker.  She loved caring for her roses; she and Doug always had the most amazing gardens.  They could grow just about anything and lots of it to share.  Barbara and Doug enjoyed watching the deer and the squirrels and racoons- I loved hearing stories about wild critter visits.   Barbara loved to make extravagant parties at Chevron and the most mind boggling Chinese New Year gift baskets.  She would bake literally hundreds of perfect almond cookies to the delight of many happy recipients.  Barbara was loved by many and the light she shone on us will go on in memories of her

OBITUARY

Barbara Ann Wong

6 September, 1954 – 30 July, 2024

Keaton’s Redwood Chapel of Marin

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