Mary Fong

Beloved wife, mother and grandmother Mary Lau Fong passed away peacefully at age 94 on November 21, 2023. Hers was a rich and full life, and as she sometimes said, would make quite a movie. Born to a Chinese father and a Mexican mother, she grew up in a small village in Zhongshan, China in a household that spoke both Chinese and Spanish. She met her future husband Richard, another ‘foreign Chinese’ born in the US but also raised in the same district, while a teenager.  Living through WWII and the Communist Revolution, she graduated from Hip Wo High School in 1949, before fleeing to Macau, then Hong Kong, working as a teacher. After a seven year separation from Richard, they married in 1953 and moved to the US, settling in Los Angeles and later Monterey Park, her home for over 60 years. A determined, independent, and creative person, as well as devoted wife and mother, she raised a family of four children, but still wanted to use her skills and abilities, eventually working for over 20 years for the Federal Reserve Bank. Even after retirement, her curiosity about the world and desire to challenge herself led to a rebirth of her love of painting, which reflected her passion and talent, as well as singing, where she formed many friendships.

Her beloved husband Richard passed away in 2000.  She is survived by her children Evan, Bernice, Peter and Judy (Robert) Lee, and grandchildren Traci, Kevin and Rachel Lee.