George H. Ng

George H. Ng

January 18, 1939 - January 12, 2024

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend, died when his heart gave out while he was hurrying to assist his cherished wife of 55 years with car trouble.

Less than one week before his 85th birthday, George was doing what he loved: helping. George was not a talker. He was a doer-a door opener, a (free) coffee fetcher, a chair mover. Need everything set up or put back in place after a big meeting? George was your guy! No task was too big or too tedious. Need someone to watch the marshmallow topping so it doesn't burn on your Thanksgiving yams? George was on it! One could depend on him for pretty much anything-except, in his later years, doing his taxes by 15 April (No worries, IRS, 2022 has been filed now!) or reading and answering email and texts. It was hard to guess from his stoic to stony resting face, but he delighted in making himself useful, whether it was giving blood for decades, supporting wife Judy's various children's ministries, or doing Scouts with son Roland, from Cub to Eagle.

George was born in Hong Kong on January 18, 1939, to George Yuck and May Yuck (Tam) Ng, the second of six children. When the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, his family fled to Macau. There, living in the shadow of the Ruins of St. Paul's, George enjoyed an idyllic boyhood. The house was full, not only with many siblings to play with and look after, but also a gaggle of cousins (including Bob Chin and the Nanjing contingent) and extended family, who lived with the Ngs because of the war. He attended dear-to-his-heart Lingnam Middle School, making lifelong friends (Kwok Lo, Dragon Young and Sarah Chan) and a lifelong habit of speedy walking to traverse the eight miles daily to and from classes. If you ever walked or hiked with him, you know how fast he moved! Even on his very last day, George was out walking from 5:20 to 6:00 a.m.

A U.S. citizen by birth, George arrived by ship to California in 1953 to claim his birthright. (George's father was a U.S. citizen who returned to China after retiring from the Navy to marry, because Chinese women were barred from entering the U.S. at that time.) The Ng family settled in South Central Los Angeles, at East 64th and San Pedro, living behind their mom and pop convenience store. George's job at the store was butchering meat, and every afternoon, high school and college, he went home to work.

George attended Lafayette Junior High for ESL and John C. Fremont High School, then put himself through UCLA doing Navy ROTC. After graduation, he served in the Vietnam War on three ships (USS Goldsborough, USS Magoffin, and USS Kawishiwi). George met Judy after his disastrous date with her cousin Donna (Chow) Fong. Judy liked him well enough though, and she shared her Christian faith and her Christian friends (the Loshes, Grinsteads and Pattersons) with him. Unbeknownst to Judy, but true to his do-the-right-thing self, George snuck off her to hometown in the Philippines during a ship break in the Pacific to meet her family and secure her parent's blessings before he asked her to marry him. They wed in LA's Chinatown on August 17, 1968, honeymooned in Yellowstone National Park, and lived for two years in LA while George taught ROTC at UCLA. It was a sweet time of being close to George's big family before he was transferred to Pearl Harbor.

Life in Honolulu was lovely (Hooray for time to be near god sister Mabel Lum and family!) and George and Judy made good Navy friends such as the Hojsacks, but George wanted to be home more for his growing family. George's new job as a special agent with the FBI grew into his career. He and Judy raised two children as he worked at the Portland, Los Angeles, FBI headquarters, Washington field, and San Diego offices. He told his kids to tell anyone who asked that their dad "worked for the government," and, if pressed, the Department of Justice. Although his family rarely had any clue what he did for work, he kept a very predictable schedule, running six miles during his daily lunch break, and taking barely any sick days. When he retired in 1996 after 23 years in the FBI, he had 2386 hours (71 weeks) of sick time left.

Outside of work, George devoted most of his time to his children: running with McLean Youth Track, wood carving at Colvin Run Mill, weekly Scouts, and even taking a Saturday job at the swim club so his daughter could earn some money working under his supervision. He meticulously planned out the family's two-week vacation every summer, often a road trip with detailed maps from AAA: Birmingham, AL, to visit the Joes, George's second family; the World's Fair in Knoxville; Niagara Falls; Disney World; a Canadian chemistry conference; a college tour of all the Ivys. He took particular joy in helping out with Vienna Presbyterian Church's Summer Mission Projects, mentoring teens while building and repairing homes for a week every year, plus all the preparation leading up to each trip.

After retirement, George finally started pursuing his own interests. He loved singing with the Mandarin choir (20+ years!) and a Cantonese worship team at Chinese Bible Church of San Diego. He helped Andy Lee and Peter Wang with facilities at church. He and Judy regularly drove to Tijuana to teach Bible lessons and lead activities for kids. He spent time with his mother (who affectionately called him 阿強 "Strong")and the Ng clan in LA. He was thrilled to visit China and to reunite with his Nanjing cousins. He joined Lingnam class reunions in Macau every decade. And, he greatly enjoyed retired FBI national conventions and meeting up with his Chinese agent friends. George was the 9th FBI agent of Chinese descent, and he knew most if not all of the other early Chinese agents. Most recently, after moving into The Glen at Scripps Ranch in January 2020, George found a new community of friends and a host of new interests: weekly bridge and pinochle, tai chi, watering community garden plots for Judy and friends. Having never done art as an adult (or possibly even as a child), George was a fixture, meticulous and nearly silent, in painting and ceramics classes.

George relished getting free stuff (e.g., coffee), winning, being part of a team, fellowshipping at CBCSD, being outdoors (especially in wild, open spaces), reading spy novels, hanging out with dogs, and speaking Cantonese. He also savored time with family, and especially his grandchildren, for whom he was a playful "Gong Gong." He challenged Berkeley and Penuel in Rummikub, mahjong, and even ping pong. He was in Minnesota for almost every birthday, and attended dozens of their hockey games over the years. He put up with Berkeley mussing his hair, Penuel talking trash over the chessboard, and both kids poking fun of the way he pronounced "school." He was most content whenever son Roland (aka RJ) joined Judy and him for a meal or hike, or just visited. Whenever his daughter Melody flew into San Diego, he met her at the bottom of the escalator by baggage claim. He and Judy dressed up and danced on New Year's Eve to welcome in 2024.

George wasn't perfect. He was impatient, sometimes short tempered, sometimes rude. He thought boys were better than girls at math. He said things aloud that he should have kept inside his head. He remained quiet when he should have talked to make people feel comfortable. He grabbed the best parking spaces. But George usually put others before himself. He tried hard to always do his best. He was very generous with his time and abilities. He was steadfast and faithful. George spent his lifetime earning the name his parents gave him: 英雄, which means "hero."

George was predeceased by his parents, brothers Albert and Jack, sister Mary Chen, brothers-in-law T.C. Lo and Igram Chen, and nephew Edwin Lo. He is survived by wife Judy, children Melody (Joseph Lin) and Roland, grandchildren Berkeley and Penuel Lin, brother William (Lily) and sister May Lo, sisters-in-law Jean and Ada, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.