Wayne Fong Choy

1947 - 2016

Wayne Fong Choy was born on March 29, 1947 in Richmond, CA, and adopted by Chuck Fong Choy and Sadie Leo Choy one week later, April 5, 1947.

His parents divorced in 1959 and he later moved to Corning in 1962. Throughout his childhood, he went back and forth between the Bay Area and Corning. In the former, he boxed at a local gym to keep out of trouble; in the latter, he played baseball with the Blomquist family and other neighborhood children, as well as football. He played left end under Coach Tag McFadden on the Cardinal Varsity Team who were the 1964 Westside League Co-Champs.

Wayne graduated from CUHS in 1965 where his primary interests were football, as well as track and field. He married the same year. From his first marriage, he had two children, Quint and Leslay.
He attended Shasta College on and off following graduation and completed his AA in 1977 and his BS in Social Welfare in 1979 from Chico State. Upon graduation from Chico, he received a letter of congratulations from then-President, Robert Nixon.

In high school and as a young college grad, he worked as a butcher in his dad's grocery store, Wayne's Market, on Solano Street. He parlayed his degree into a police officer position in Lodi, CA, and later became a probation officer at the Tehama Probation Department. He was a natural sales person and took a route with Dolly Madison, forming a life-long addiction to raspberry zingers that only the company's demise could end. He then worked with an old friend to create Mr. Custom, becoming a regional sunglass and specialties distributor.

Interest in his adult life included boxing (he logged untold hours watching Sugar Ray Leonard and Mohammed Ali), football (loved the 49ers), softball, tennis, fishing, and hunting. He was also a talented amateur black-and-white photographer.
He married again in 1986, exchanging vows in Corning, CA, with Kathleen Morgan, and her three sons, Justin, Blaine, and Richie at her side.
Wayne died on February 13, 2016 at age 68 in Chico, CA, due to complications from a multitude of chronic health issues, further impacted by lung cancer.

He is survived by his wife Kathy (Kathleen Morgan) Choy; his children, Quint Choy an Leslay Choy; his wife's children, Justin, Blaine, and Richie Morgan; and his grandchildren, Jaeden and Sarrie Choy, Lucia Anderson, and Kylie and Mia Morgan.

Services will be held at the Senior Center at 1015 4th Ave. in Corning on March 12, 2016 at 3:00 pm. It was Wayne's wish that people make contributions to Second Chance Pet Rescue at 4312 Rawson Rd. Corning, CA, 96021 or sent via Paypal to treasurerofscpr@gmail.com. It was also his wish that the 49ers make it to the Super Bowl again, but that's out of our hands.