William "Bill" Wui Ng

        On January 9, 2021, William Wui Ng, passed away in his Chatsworth, CA home at the age of 80.

        William was born in Hong Kong on March 22, 1940, the middle child of Kwong Chak Ng and Kiu Ying Ng (Cheng). His given name, Wui, was both auspicious and humorous: his parents' business had burned down; they later named him Wui, which was a character taken from the Chinese god of fire. He was the middle child of three. His siblings were his older twin brother Zing and his younger sister Magdalene. His family fled the Japanese in World War II, passing through Vietnam, where he lost his twin brother and his aunt. From Vietnam, his family made their way back to Canton, and then later to Hong Kong in 1949, emigrating to California in 1957, first settling in San Francisco. While his father went to New York to work, William worked in restaurants to help make ends meet, saving tips to give to his mother. His days were filled with schooling and bus trips to restaurants, then heading back home to do it all again the next day. He became the unofficial dim sum tester for the family restaurant in San Francisco, and began cooking around this time as a hobby.

        He entered college, but his studies were interrupted by the Korean War, which landed William in the Army, where he served a tour of duty as a medic. After his tour of duty, he resumed college, where he learned to play bridge. He graduated with a degree in chemistry from Cal State Hayward (now California State University, East Bay). In 1974, his life course would change through a friend of his father's, a classmate in Australia. During a visit to Taiwan, on Taiwan's independence day, he met his future wife, Jessica. The following year was spent writing letters back and forth, their correspondence culminating in William's returning to Taiwan to propose. William brought Jessica back to the US, and the happy couple married in a church in Lincoln Heights.

        He spent a few years attempting to start a restaurant, Phoenix, in the Crenshaw district. However, the daily grind and the commitment required to serve food day in and day out was at odds with his and Jessica's plan for a family, so he shut the doors for the last time in 1977, the same year his son Michael was born. His daughter, Angela, was born five years later, in 1982.

        William's degree landed him a job with the City of Los Angeles, where he built his career as an industrial waste inspector over the next 26 years. The stability his work gave him allowed him to help all of Jessica's family move from Taiwan to the US. If they ever needed anything, he was there to help. This was perhaps his greatest accomplishment: being able to support three generations under his own household, while also helping his extended family-in-law emigrate to the US.

        William retired early, at the age of 60, content to leave behind the 9-to-5 to better accommodate his preferred pastimes: playing bridge, vacationing, and cooking. He and Jessica enjoyed 2-3 vacations per year, taking cruises, and visiting his only grandson, Theodore.

        William is survived by his wife, Jessica Ng, his son, Michael Ng, his daughter, Angela Ng and her husband, Stephen Uy, his grandson, Theodore Uy, his sister, Magdalene Ho and her husband, Ullin Ho, and cat, Lucky.

        Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, California.