Carolyn Wong

Carolyn Ka Nin Wong, 75, passed away on November 11, 2025 with her loving husband, Gen-hua Shi, at her side. While battling a rare blood condition for the last ten years, she possessed an indomitable spirit and generosity that profoundly impacted her friends and family. She was grateful until the very end for the opportunities she had in this world, and died with peace in her heart knowing she had no work left to be done.
Carolyn was born in 1950 in Hong Kong to William and Josephine Fan, and is survived by siblings Vincent, Ambrose and Janet Fan. She fondly recalled her Catholic schooling at St. Paul's Convent, where requisite health exams uncovered a condition shared by Carolyn and her mom and led to life-saving surgery. She learned to manage an office while working in British banks in Hong Kong, which became indispensable as she moved to Hawaii with her first husband, Bob Wong, to start their geotechnical engineering firm in 1975. The employee-owned company grew to 90 under their leadership, with many loyal staff staying on for decades.
As the company grew, so did Bob and Carolyn's philanthropy. The Bob and Carolyn YK Wong Foundation was established in 1997 to support a range of causes, including the support of engineering and architectural talent locally. When Bob passed away after a battle with cancer, Carolyn continued their generosity and community involvement, supporting a number of youth, veteran and health organizations nationally and in Hawaii.
Carolyn fervently believed in the power of education toward self betterment, not just in her philanthropic efforts but in the raising of her two daughters, Ingrid and Amelia Wong, and three grandchildren Roland DeLaCour, Bobby DeLaCour, and Theo Vassiliadis. She was a tough as nails mother and grandmother who always stressed the importance of knowing your self worth and understanding your culture. The deep love she felt for her family was often expressed by the abundance of dimsum ordered at her neighborhood Chinese restaurant.
Carolyn was also a devout Christian who found as much comfort in the words of Christ as she did contributing to the potluck at regular worship gatherings. Even as disease started to take a toll on her body, she sang heartily every other Sunday and loved to beat a small drum that she sat on.
A memorial service is scheduled for 3pm on Friday, November 28 at Sneider & Sullivan & O'Connell's Funeral Home in San Mateo, CA.
We invite those who wish to pay tribute to share condolences and memories on this memorial page.
For flowers the family requests you order from https://sweetheartfloristsf.com/
For those seeking comfort or guidance during this time, resources are available at https://cypresslawn.com/grief-support/.
Details regarding services will be provided in the "Events" tab as they are confirmed and made available to the public.