Nang Fook Wong

Known as “Skip” by family and friends, Nang was born on March 19, 1928 in Oakland, California. He was the second youngest child of Jow May Wong and Shee Hom and was the last surviving member of a large family of three sisters and three brothers. He graduated in 1946 from Auburn High School situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He attended college at San Jose State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in business. While at school he met Martha N.K. Mau whom he married in 1953. They celebrated their 69th anniversary July 5 of 2022.

Nang had a warm and friendly character, a persona that served him well at his first job with Hale Brothers Department Store in San Jose. He moved on to wholesale purchasing and selling with J.B. Sherr Company in San Francisco, then worked as a buyer for Allied Western. He returned to J.B. Sherr to guide the company’s import of upscale specialty items for the home. He then formed a partnership with William Liebler and John Robinson continuing his 40+ year career in wholesale housewares. While he was modest about his accomplishments in the business world, he became especially well known for convincing a major hotel chain to start supplying irons and ironing boards in all customer hotel rooms. The project proved to be a lucrative contract for him and the company!

Nang loved to tinker. In his early college days, he imagined he might find a career as a watchmaker. His attention to detail and manual dexterity would never leave him. In his spare time, he enjoyed both artistic and technical drawing, and he also tinkered with small furniture projects inspired by the mid-century style of the 1950s and 60s. His largest project involved converting the garage of the family’s modern Eichler house into a large and spacious home office and family room. He also loved buying, selling, and repairing cars. He was proud to boast that he owned no fewer than 25 makes and models, his favorite being his 1952 Hudson and a 1990 Lexus LS400 sedan. Friends and family members sought his opinion before purchasing a new car. Close family members believe they’ve inherited a little of Nang’s propensity for fiddling and fixing things. Everyone will fondly remember his collection of “motors on a stick,” upcycled machine parts on wood bases that featured blowing fans, rotating assemblies, and obscure contraptions with strange but useful purposes.

Nang’s wife, Marty N.K. Wong, passed away December 9, 2023. The couple is survived by two children, Peter Wong and Lesley Kyono, their spouses, Pamela Grundy and Tracey Kyono, and three grandchildren, Melanie Kyono, Brent Kyono, and Parker Wong.

Donations in honor of Nang F. Wong can be made to The American Lung Association:

https://www.lung.org/

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.oakhillfuneral.com for the Wong family.