May Wong Ong

May Wong Ong passed away on July 17, 2023. She lived long and well for 102 years. She was born in Boston MA, May 18, 1921. May and her family went to China in the early 1930’s. There she met and married Roy Ong in Kaiping, China. When she was 19, she returned to the United States with her younger brother, Francis Wong, sailing on the ship, Empress of Russia. They made their way to Phoenix where she and Roy started Food Center Market. They raised six children: Ruth Ong, Ivy (Holly) Ong, Patsy (Gary) Barry, Linda (Garrett) Sliger, Judy (Timothy) Bortvit, and Daniel (Kati) Ong. In 1962 they opened China Doll Restaurant, the first restaurant to bring dim sum to the valley. In the early 1970’s May donated one of her kidneys to her daughter Ruth. Ruth was one of the longest kidney transplant survivors, surviving thirty plus years.

May will be remembered for her kindhearted giving and generous spirit. She and Roy helped build a school and community center in Kaiping, China, Roy’s hometown. They brought many relatives from China to the United States, helping them to get started with their lives in the states. In 2005 she took some of the family to China. There she was able to meet a relative whose education she had financed through university, helping her and her family build better lives. She had the ancestral home in Kaiping, China rebuilt to modern standards. May would give money to the homeless outside the grocery store, often saying “what good is money if you can’t help others”.

It was during the later years that May was able to enjoy more of life, celebrating birthdays with extended family, cooking, and giving lessons in the kitchen. In her 90’s May became passionate with a new project, helping schools with craft projects, cutting, pasting, often hours a day. She did this well past her 100th year.

Her family remembers her smile and laughter, her resiliency through life’s ups and downs, being a great life teacher, and her kindhearted giving spirit,

She will be missed by her family, including five grandchildren, six great grandchildren and so many others she touched along her journey.