Howard Foo Wong

Howard, a dedicated man of integrity and intellect, was born in Hankow, China on June 8th, 1931 as Hu Foo Wong (pronounced Huang Hu Foo in Chinese)., the son of Chun Shan Wong and Mie Liu. Howard spent his first 17 years in China going to school and helping his mother raise his brother and sisters. His father worked overseas in the Navy that left Howard, as a young boy, the man of the household with two younger sisters, Marie and Susan, and a younger brother, John. The family fled China due to Communism and to have a better education. They emigrated from Tsingtao, Shantung, China landing in San Francisco on December 11th, 1948 aboard the USS General H. W. Butner, AP-113. They started off living in Richmond in the Bay Area and moved to San Diego in February 1949. Howard attended San Diego High School and graduated in 1951.

After graduating from high school, Howard served as Sargent with the U.S. Air Force Reserve from March 24th, 1952 to January 21st, 1956. He was discharged with Honorable Mention on February 29th, 1960. Howard was a Veteran from the Korean War.

In 1956, Howard met his love, Verna Dee Yoh, in San Francisco. They met through friends of their parents. After meeting Verna, Howard would drive up to San Francisco every weekend to court her. He and Verna had a beautiful Chinese wedding and married on August 17th, 1957 in San Francisco. They had three boys, Ernest (1958) , Perry (1959) & Gordon (1961) and a daughter, Katharine (1970).

Howard had his B.S. and M.S. degree in Electronic Engineering from SDSU. He began his professional career at NEL, NELC, NOSC , NRaD in 1959 in the development of Command Control & Communications (C3) systems. He was an Electronic Engineer, Project Manager and Project Director in the development of C3 systems. From 1970 until his retirement in September 1995, he was elected to be Division Head of a major Research & Development division that was highly classified at NELC, NOSC, NRaD. He supervised over 600 technical people during the merger of Naval Undersea Center and Naval Electronics Laboratory Center. Howard had many achievements and awards at the Department of Defense for 40 years.

While maintaining his career, Howard learned how important it was to diversify his portfolio by investing in Real Estate and the Stock Market. After being discharged from the Air Force, Howard learned how to invest in the stock market. For the rest of his life, he was a savvy stock trader and investor with purchases/sales, calls/puts and options, mutual funds and bonds. In the Real Estate arena, Howard bought his first house in 1958. He continued to acquire houses and apartment complexes and managed them for rental income. From 1976 to 1998, Howard was a California licensed Real Estate Broker. He was a member of the San Diego Association of Realtors and a member of the San Diego County Apartment Association.

Howard was elected to serve on the Board of Directors at Point Loma Credit Union from 1996 to 2002. He had been a member at Point Loma Credit Union since 1959. He served as a volunteer from 1968 to 1991 on the Credit Committee and the Loan Advisory Committee. Howard was experienced in the organizational planning and management, real estate, and financial investments. He was the Chairman of the Ad Hoc CEO Evaluation Committee during his first year on the Board. He also served as a member of the Budget Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Asset/Liability Committee, and the Volunteer Succession Planning Committee.

After his retirement, Howard indulged travelling on cruise ships all around the world and dining out. He averaged about 3-4 cruises a year and frequented his local eateries, Broken Yolk, Great Plaza Buffet, Chopstix, Tajima and Dumpling Inn.

Throughout his life, Howard loved and stayed active playing tennis. Once he moved to his La Jolla Alta house in 1992, he spent several times a week playing tennis with his local buddies at the La Jolla Alta Clubhouse. It was his passion to play so he was diligent on managing the foursome tennis schedule for many years. Howard also loved to dance and met his companion, Nobuko Oder, through ballroom dancing at Balboa Park. They would dance together weekly and spent the past 10 years travelling the world. Howard also fell in love with watching basketball and was a huge fan of the Warriors and Steph Curry.

Family was the most important to Howard. He provided a great life for his kids and grandkids. He loved and adored them with pride and all his heart.

Howard lived in San Diego County for 70 years and it was his home that he loved. Howard had a huge zest for life, a great sense of humor and a welcoming smile…he was a kind and generous man. His life was rich with friends, family and experiences. He lived life to the fullest and knew how to enjoy it. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Howard will live in our hearts forever…

Howard is survived by his younger brother, John Wong, his younger sister, Susan Yau, his two sons, Ernest Wong and Gordon Wong, his daughter, Katharine Wong-Conway, his six grandchildren, William, Jessica, & Samantha Wong, Griffin, Gabriella and Garrett Conway. He was preceded in death by his wife, Verna Wong, his son, Perry Wong, his parents, Chun Shan Wong & Mie Liu and his sister, Marie Rhee.

A celebration of life will be held at 12 pm on September 16th, 2018 at the La Jolla Alta Clubhouse, 1570 Alta La Jolla Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037. This is a celebration of a happy life well-lived and enjoyed. Please feel free to wear bright colors and share a story.

Memorial donations in honor of Howard F. Wong may be sent to the American Diabetes Association.