Frank Y.C. Ong was born in Phoenix, Arizona on August 9, 1925. He was the sixth child of Henry Ong, Sr. and Mar Lai Hing. The family moved back to China in 1928. At the outbreak of the Japanese invasion of China in 1938, the family moved back to Phoenix. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Army and served his country proudly. He was in the 419th Field Artillery Group and was stationed in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. He was honorably discharged in 1946. After the war, Frank opened a grocery store and clothing store in Phoenix.
In 1955, Frank met Louise Mah in Hong Kong and were married shortly thereafter. They moved to Phoenix in 1956 and in November, their first son, Kendall, was born. In 1961, their second son, Randall, was born.
Frank, along with his brothers, opened and operated Melrose Bowl in 1957. It was a favorite meeting spot for the Chinese community. He worked as a cartographer for the Arizona Department of Transportation from 1958 until his retirement in 1988. After his retirement he worked for the census department in Denver, Colorado. It was during that time, he found a town called Ong, Nebraska and was intrigued enough to take a road trip to the town. He was a race car fan, taking his sons to Phoenix International Raceway to watch the annual Indy car race. He was a black belt in karate and taught many people at the Scottsdale Karate Club. Frank also loved to travel and often took road trips with his family around the U.S. and had visited 29 states. He also went on many cruises visiting Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, and Mexico with his wife, family, and friends.
Frank deeply loved his family and especially the grandchildren. He looked forward to watching them after school and it was the highlight of his day. Even as the grandchildren grew older, he loved to hear their stories and spend time with them.
Frank went to be with the Lord on November 25, 2020 surrounded by his wife of nearly 65 years and immediate family. He was preceded in death by his son Kendall (Beate). Frank is survived by his wife, Louise, son Randall (Allison), grandsons Addison (Sara), Dylan (Chloe), Connor and granddaughter, Courtney.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, December 5th from 11:30am-12:30pm at A.L. Moore-Grimshaw Mortuary located at 710 W. Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013. A private service will be held.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Baptist Church of Scottsdale, 7025 E. Osborn Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251; First Chinese Baptist Church, 4910 E. Earll Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85018; or to the Kendall Ong Memorial Scholarship: https://pbacharities.wufoo.com/forms/kendall-ong-memorial-scholarship-donation/
