Kwock Hing Gong

Gong Hoy Jeen (Gene) was born November 5, 1933 in Guangdong, China, in the village of Fah Yuen. He was the youngest child of Gong Gee Him and Wong Shee. Like many Chinese men of his age, he went by a number of names - Hoy Jeen, Kwock Hing, Royce, “GK,” and Gene.

Although he was born in China, much of his family lived in the United States, and as a young child of 3 or 4 years, Gene traveled by boat with a cousin to the United States to join them. He arrived at Angel Island to be processed into the country, but he was not allowed to enter the United States. His father Gee Him had sponsored a number of paper sons into the country, and an anonymous tipster informed the authorities. Gene was sent back to China.

From an early age, Gene showed an interest in many things, a sign of his adventurous heart. As a schoolboy, he grew tired of school in his early teens. If he didn’t go to school, his father told him he had to do something to make money, so he sold peanut oil on the side of the road. Well, he eventually completed high school in China and even went on to study in Taiwan, joined the military for a brief time, returned to Hong Kong to work as social worker rehabilitating drug addicts, and completed aircraft engineering school by the time he was 25. In 1961, while teaching math and physics at Athens College in Hong Kong, he met Grace (his wife) who taught English at the same school. Grace went on to nursing school in 1962 and Gene went to work at Hong Kong airport in 1965.

Gene was also a man with a great sense of humor and hard work ethic. His English was poor but he strove hard to improve. He joked that he learned his English from Sesame Street and Blondie and Hagar the Horrible comic strips. Finding work in the US was difficult. He heard it was lucrative to be a window washer in downtown San Francisco, but he saw how dangerous it was, and decided no. He apprenticed to become a plumber, but the daily bus rides to and from Marin County and the racist taunts he endured convinced him to look elsewhere. In 1973, he joined National Airmotive Corporation, later Rolls Royce, in Oakland as a mechanic, eventually inspector, and remained with them until retiring in 2000.

Gene then spent more time with Grace and family, continuing his love of travel - going on many cruises to Mexico, Alaska, both coasts of Canada, and the Caribbean. Most recently in September, the entire family visited Muir Woods. He was happiest travelling with his family.

When we think of “Uncle Gene,” many of us remember his love of photography, travel, and even calligraphy. We will certainly treasure even more deeply his sense of humor, gregariousness, his loyalty, his perseverance through adversity, love of family, and ability to warm us with his smile.

He is survived by his wife Grace, his son Arthur, his daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law George, and two grandchildren Erika and Curtis.