We Remember
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.
THIS SERVICE WILL BE LIVE STREAMED/BROADCAST ON FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2020 AT 3:00 PM
Can’t believe that Jim is no longer with us. He was such a good neighbour to my parents, Ed and Ann Skomorski, both in Sorrento and Kelowna. Brian and I also thoroughly enjoyed the visits we had with Jim. He will be missed! Hugs❤️
I was sorry to hear about Jimmy’s passing. He and my husband, Dick (deceased), became close friends in the 1940’s and the friendship did not waver.. I’ll always remember the great times we shared with friends at Long Beach. It was a pleasure to know him. I offer my condolences.
Dear Steve, Chris and Andrea
It is with great sorrow that we send our condolences to you. Your Dad was one of a kind with his caring, gentle spirit, his kind generosity and his love of life. When we enjoy whipping cream in our oatmeal (like he taught us!) we will raise our spoons to Uncle Jimmy!
He will be greatly missed. Our love and thoughts are with you..
Andrea and Chris Kelly
Stephen, Christopher, Andrea and families,
We are thinking of you and remembering your Dad with much admiration and fond memories. Mr. Kwong, as he was known to us, was truly a great friend of our family, especially our Dad, Bruce Yeo. I remember our families celebrating Christmas dinners when the Kwong twins were just babies and many years later Mr. Kwong gave the toast to the bride at our wedding.
He will be remembered always a gentleman with a smile, who laughed easily, cared very much for his family and, was great cook. He will be missed.
Heather Brown
Dear Stephen, Andrea, Christopher, We will miss your Dad so very much; he was a good man who lead an exemplary life that we can all look up to. So sad that this the end of their generations. Thinking of you all,
Debbie, Kita, Roderick, Kieran, Kamilia,
Wonderful service; glad I could tune into it and share in the sentiments.
That was quite a generation, wasn’t it!
Uncle Jim and Aunt Bev were always so welcoming and selfless. Our whole family of 6 would visit in Sorrento on our way between Calgary and N Vancouver at Easter, Christmas or Thanksgiving, and we would always be met with some freshly prepared meals if we could stay long enough, or a selection of roasts, chops or other items from a chock full freezer. One time when he was working between school semesters at my mom’s and dad’s general store in Lilloett the store caught on fire at night and everybody had to get out before it burned to the ground. My dad had give uncle Jim a brand new pair of shoes and according to Jim they were maybe one of the nicest things he owned. So when the fire broke out with everybody outside watching the place burn to the ground he remembered the shoes and ran back in to get them and on the way out he managed to pickup and carry out the old style cash register which maybe weighed about 200 lbs. My dad saw this and then he ran back in and was gone for sometime and everybody started to get worried. My dad finally emerges not with the photo albums or jewellery or other irreplaceable mementos. He had his imported English Hardy brand of fly fishing rods and reels. Lovely, heartfelt service! Lived the stories and the slide show. Wish e all could have attended in person! Wishing you all, Steve, Chris, and Andrea, partners and grand/great grandchildren all the best.
Sincere condolences, Barry, Fran, Cory, Alex, Lian, and Phil!
Our condolences to the Kwong family. I was Jim’s Care Giver for almost 9 years. Jim considered my daughter and I family. He treated us with respect, kindness and gave us a ton of love. He took on the role of Grandfather to my daughter Tiffanie. Jim was a generous and loving soul. We loved him. We will never forget Jim and what he brought into our hearts and into our lives. May your soul RIP
To the Kwong family:
I am thinking of you, and the fond memories of times through the years with Jim and Bev. Bill Bailey was one of Jim’s closest friends, and Jim was a great support at IPSCO for Bill through all the years. No one could cook a better meal, share his memories of life, love and business like Jim could. I will forever remember that crooked smile and the twinkle in his eyes. Love to you all . Dee Bailey
I worked for Jim at Ipsco and I always admired how he interacted with the employees and everyone was worth a greeting and conversation. He was a gentle man of integrity. May your memories sustain you at this time of mourning.
My condolences to the Kwong family.
Your dad was a friend of my Dad, and he also set me up with a couple of great jobs in the 1970’s that I was very appreciative of. It has been many years but I remember his smile and friendly attitude. All the best to the Kwong family, stay safe.
Dear Stephen, Andrea and Chris,
I was so sorry to hear from D’Arcy about the passing of your dad. Every time I met Mr. Kwong (as he was to me), he was so warm and welcoming, and I remember so many of D’Arcy’s stories of the wonderful times she spent at the Kwong house. Everyone who knew him will carry his memory forward. My thoughts are with you all.
What a beautiful service for a beautiful man! My deepest condolences to you, Stephen and Sandra and boys, Chris and family and Andrea and partner. Thank you for sharing the service online for us to participate in. Your Dad was a wonderful human being and I have fond memories of Christmas dinners, get togethers, visits and for a couple of summers in Regina, Me. Kwong was my boss! He was always so friendly and happy and genuinely concerned about everyone he knew and it was my honour to have him say grace before my wedding supper on a hot day in July in Vernon BC many years ago. I know my Dad, Bruce considered Jim one of his dearest and closest friends and they always had a great time together both professionally and socially especially as they both had such terrific senses of humour and would get up to all sorts of trouble! Our Yeo family still loves to cook many of Jim’s fabulous recipes but hands down our favourite is Jim’s chicken wing recipe that is famous at all parties and potlucks! I had the pleasure of visiting Jim and Bev and Boo at their beautiful home in Sorrento BC. He will be missed and a special hello and hug from my Mum, Patricia Yeo to you, Stephen, Chris and Andrea, our thoughts are with you at this difficult time. What a full and wonderful life your Dad had! Love Shannon
Our heartfelt condolences to the Kwong family. Jimmy was a tremendous friend of ours over times both in Regina when he worked with IPSCO and later in the Okanagan when he shared many meals with mom and dad. He had a great smile and gentle demeanour. He was appreciated by our entire family. I attach a photo of Jimmy and our mom taken on the deck in Kelowna. We will miss him.
Dear Stephen, Andrea, and Chris,
I wanted to extend to you and your families my heartfelt sympathy at the loss of dearest Uncle Jimmy. He was always such a kind and generous person. Over the years I had many a good visit with your parents, especially during those years they were at Sorrento. How fortunate to of had your Dad for so long, I feel blessed to still have mine. May his memory stay strong in your hearts. He will live on in the stories we share with Dad over the dinner table. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Love,
Maureen and family
Dear Stephen, Andrea and Chris: I was saddened to read of your dad’s passing. Our association goes back to the days in Regina and Knox Met church. Your dear mom and I taught S.S. together. One of my fondest memories of your dad is the night your family invited ours to dinner and your dad proudly presented PORK HOCKS as the main course. This was a favorite for both your dad and Graham. What a fine gentleman Jim was. They were a delightful couple. Sincerely, Marlene Hall
Dear Stephen, Chris and Andrea
Our deepest condolences to you and your families on the loss of your father. Your father hired me (Ed) at IPSCO and we were colleagues for many years and friends to the end. The last time your dad and I spoke he was hoping the pandemic would soon be over so we could get together one more time.. When Jim retired we spent many days with Jim and Bev in the Shuswap and then with Jim in Kelowna enjoying Jim’s scrumptious meals, great stories, and always reminiscing on our days at IPSCO and just enjoying the wonderful time of being able to be together again. May the Lord give you comfort in this time of sorrow.
We are sorry to know that Jimmy has passed. He was a very good friend to our dad, Edgar Drew, and we were very fortunate to have him come to Dad’s celebration of life where he (despite in poor health that day) delivered a most appropriate and fun-loving account of Edgar in his youth. Jimmy was so kind and such a lovely gentleman. We wished we had the opportunity to know him for a longer period of time.