Connie Ng

Connie was born in China in 1926, and met and married Richard in 1947 when he was visiting relatives in Hong Kong after WWII. They married in early 1948, traveled by ship to San Francisco, then settled in Stockton where Richard worked in the grocery industry. Connie became a naturalized citizen in 1956 when Calvin and Alan were young. There might have been only the two boys, but friends kept saying how wonderful it was to have a daughter. Steve and later Donna were born to round out the Ng family.

The young family lived on 5th Street and had a large and loving group of dear friends and family. They loved to travel throughout California and later to China and Hawaii.

Richard and Connie were married 53 years at the time of Richard's passing. Connie lived for over 70 years in Stockton.

Connie was a terrific cook and loved to prepare special meals for family and friends. She would spend days preparing - shopping, chopping, marinating, and most of the day of the gathering cooking. We all fondly remember sitting around the kitchen table folding packets of tin foil chicken, assembling won ton, and preparing many other delights. We fried gin dui, and the young or new cooks learned to fry noodles just the way she liked them for her chow mein. You always hoped there might be one of her special cakes, as well - Connie mastered cakes that were flavorful but never too sweet and loved to garnish with fresh fruit.

Gardening was a passion for Connie, and she proudly raised peaches, Kelsey plums, citrus fruits, red dates, and vegetables in her yard. Her winter melon crops were legendary. We remember visits where we were put to work in the yard harvesting fruit, pruning trees, or setting up red dates on homemade drying racks. She would generously share the harvested goodness. You could track the passing of the year by how many winter melons were still carefully stored in the garage, as Connie timed their use to enjoy and not waste any.

Sewing and knitting were among her skills, and she was adept at modifying clothes for you. Need pockets? Let's do that right now. Do those pants need hemming? Are you missing a button? She also used to knit beautiful sweaters and (before there were four children) even made lovely dresses with delicate yarns.

After the kids were all in school, Connie joined the out-of-the house workforce and worked in local canneries during harvest seasons for over 25 years (she liked peaches and asparagus best, though she also worked cherry season some years). Connie had a great group of friends who worked and carpooled together. She would carefully prepare her lunch and ready her gloves and other protective equipment and then off she'd go in the carpool. (I never knew how irritating peach fuzz could be until I saw her preparations for work then researched it. You can get a lot of exposure to the irritating little barbs on the peach fuzz when you are processing peaches for hours, and her skin was very sensitive!)

Connie would spend hours on the phone with her dearest friends, sometimes being on the phone when you went to bed and be on the phone when you got up in the morning. On the phone overnight? Who knows for sure, but my vote is a yes on that. These ladies knew everything that was going on, and probably knew what you were up to before you figured it out yourself.

She loved to shop and was a generous and thoughtful gift giver.

Connie discovered that having grandchildren was even more fun than raising your own children. When the grandchildren came to visit she was full of joy, there were freshly made cups of jello in the refrigerator, and it was likely that chow mein or spaghetti was on the menu for lunch. No child ever left for home without at least a package of candies or other treats from Yin Yin (grandma) and probably some cash from Yeh Yeh (grandpa).

Connie was a sweet, caring lady who loved feeding and nurturing people. She had a long life and made a significant impact on all she loved. We were blessed to call her "Mom". Connie and Richard raised four children who have a lifetime of great memories and values they have passed on to their own children and grandchildren.

Connie is survived by her children Calvin of Fresno, Alan (Jenny) of Sacramento, Steve (Deb) of Auburn, and Donna of Stockton; grandchildren Ben, Caryn (James), Kevin (Yani), Carina, Kaelin (Reid), David, and Sarah; and four great-grandchildren. Connie was preceded in death by husband Richard Ng of Stockton and daughter-in-law Cosh.

A private viewing and service will be held to celebrate Connie's life.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Connie's memory to Jene Wah Senior Service Center, Inc. (238 East Church Street, Stockton, CA 95203).