KWONG, James Kuo
February 17, 1927 (Revelstoke, BC)
to June 8, 2020 (Kelowna, BC)
It is with great sadness that we say good-bye to our father, grandfather and great-grandfather James Kuo Kwong. Jim, Jimmy, Uncle Jimmy, Dear (as Mom used to say) passed away peacefully on the morning of June 8, 2020, at Hawthorne Park in Kelowna, BC after an amazing 93 years of life. He leaves behind his sons Stephen (Sandra) and Christopher (Colleen); daughter Andrea (Rob); his grandchildren Courtney (Bryan), Kyle, Kirsten, Evan, and Alex; and his great-granddaughter Haisley. He was predeceased by his wife Beverly, who he proudly and devotedly cared for in her final years of life. He was also the youngest and the last of his generation of the Kwong family from Revelstoke, BC. Son to Wong Kwong and Yee Von Kwong, he was a brother to Sam, Jean, Kim, Doris, Clara, John, Mary, and George. He will be fondly remembered by his friends and family as a caring and kind family man who always aimed high, had an uncompromised work ethic, would always share his wisdom with others and loved to cook and entertain. He had a successful journey in life: born the youngest in a large Asian family during the late 20s, he lived through the depression and World War II, he built his career and family during the last half of the 20th century, and finally, he navigated the technological explosion in the 21st century. From being one of the first Asian Chartered Accountants in Canada to marrying a beautiful English woman in the 60s and raising 3 Eurasian children through the 60s and 70s, Jim never felt constrained through his journey. He successfully built a career in western Canada as a senior executive at one of the largest steel and pipe manufacturers in North America (IPSCO in Regina, SK) and finally retired with his wife Beverly in Sorrento, BC where they spent time visiting and entertaining old friends and family, caring for their garden and watching their grandchildren grow. On the passing of Beverly, Jim finally settled in Kelowna to be closer to family. Dad, you have shown us an example of a life well lived. We should all strive to achieve the same. We will miss you and are glad to have you a part of us forever. Say hello to Mom. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Society of BC, alzheimer.ca, would be appreciated. The family would like to invite all who wish to pay their respects to join them online to view the Livestream of the service on Friday, July 3, 2020 at 3:00 pm at www.springfieldfuneralhome.com, where you can also send condolences to the family.