Frank Mon Jue

Frank Mon Jue, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend passed away on July 24, 2015, in San Francisco. A native San Franciscan, Frank and his family—including mother Lillian and siblings Arthur, Phyllis, and Dorothy—moved to Hong Kong when he was five to join his father, Joseph Sunn Jue, a well-known filmmaker. In 1939, the family resettled in San Francisco's Chinatown. Frank attended Commodore Stockton Grammar School, Francisco Junior High School, and Galileo High School. He was very active in the St. Mary's Boys Club—starting as a participant and later becoming its president and director—where he organized social activities, camping trips, and fundraising events. It became the most important influence of his formative years. Frank also played basketball in the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) league (pretending to be Catholic so he could join in, until he decided to convert to Catholicism himself). He would later attribute his deep Catholic faith as helping to make him a better person, professional, father, and husband. As a youth, Frank also helped his father re-establish his film studio in San Francisco. Frank attended U.C. Berkeley from 1948 to 1952, graduating with a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering. In 1952, he was hired as an engineer at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard, which began a distinguished 32-year career working with the U.S. Navy, interrupted only by a stint in the Army during the Korean War. It was during this time that Frank started dating the love of his life, Jennie Christina Chong, whose father came from the same village in China as Frank's mother. Frank was friends with Jennie's younger brother, Wes. One day, Frank called the Chong house when Jennie answered, heard Frank's voice, and handed the phone to Wes. A few seconds later, Wes handed the phone back to Jennie and said, "Frank is calling for YOU." So began a 63 year long love story. The couple married at St. Mary's Chinese Mission in San Francisco on June 6, 1954, and settled into a small apartment in Chinatown to start a family. Their growing brood soon necessitated a move to larger quarters, so in 1959 they moved to their current home in the Richmond district. For Frank, family was always the highest priority even when that meant foregoing professional opportunities that required uprooting the family. He used his creativity, engineering background, and carpentry skills to remodel and extend the home over the years to accommodate his growing family. The house to this day still serves as the central meeting place for all large family occasions. Frank enjoyed life to its fullest. His lifelong hobbies included still photography and home movies, model building, and woodworking. He loved playing tennis, baseball, and ping pong; caring for the numerous family pets; and devotedly following the Giants, 49ers, and Warriors. After his retirement in 1994, he traveled the world with Jennie and their lifelong circle of friends and relatives, learned Tai Chi, and loved weekly ballroom and line dancing classes. Most gratifying to him was babysitting their many grandchildren (just not all at once). Frank also remained active with the St. Mary's Foundation and Chinese Language School, where he served as a Board Director and was recognized by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for his many years of service. Perhaps Frank's most meaningful recognition was being awarded the Fr. Charles A. Donovan Award for Outstanding Service to his beloved St. Mary's. Frank is survived by Jennie, his wife of 61 years; their nine children: Greg (and wife Lauren), Gerry (Frances), Geoff (Charleen), Mary Elizabeth, Mary Grace (Kevin), Francis (Randy), Mary Catherine (Ted), Dan (Kumiko), and Chris (Helen); 15 grandchildren: Marisa, Trevor, Ollie, Jamie, Tony, Jack, Aaron, Jeremy, Laura, Lilly, Kazuma, Maya, Toma, Adam, and Noelle; sisters Phyllis, Dorothy, and Donna; and numerous other relatives, all of whom have fond memories of his sense of humor, amazing intellect, caring nature, humility, and unconditional love of family. A memorial service followed by a reception will be held Saturday, August 1, 10:00 a.m., at Old St. Mary's Cathedral, 660 California St., San Francisco, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Mary's School and Chinese Catholic Center (838 Kearny St., San Francisco, CA 94108) or Alzheimer's Disease Research (www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers).