January 26, 1937 - July 24, 2020
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father and friend, Kok Shan "Derek" Wong.
Born in China on January 26, 1937 to parents Lung Kong and Sue Sam and passing away in Vancouver on July 24, 2020, at the age of 83.
He will be dearly missed by his wife Lyne, sons Wayne (Estell)and Andy (Carolyn) and well as all the wonderful friends he met living in Nakusp.
Derek first came to Canada when he was just 15 yrs old. He worked as a dishwasher but trained on the wok at the Silver Grill restaurant in Kamloops.
His goal was to earn enough money to go back to China to woo Lyne into marrying and joining him in Canada. After a year of letters and phone calls, she finally agreed. They were married in 1968 and had two sons, Wayne and Andy.
After completing his training, he decided to strike out on his own and moved his family to Nakusp in 1973 and opened the Dumont Restaurant and then the Manor Restaurant in 1986. He sold the business in 2003 and retired to Vancouver to be closer to family and friends. We estimate that over the course of 30 years, he had served close to a million guests. Quite amazing in a village the size of Nakusp. Although he loved owning a restaurant, nothing brought him as much joy as being a grandpa. Moving to the coast allowed him to spend every day with Jaelyn as she grew up and he loved every minute of it. Retirement also brought a lot of Mahjong games and Dim Sum with friends and when he wasn't busy eating or gambling, he could be found tending to his backyard garden.
He would always sport a huge smile when we would relay to him that during our visits back, the locals would say how much they missed him and wished that he would come back. We know he will always have a special place in his heart for the people of Nakusp.
The family would like to thank his amazing caregivers at VGH and GF Strong who treated him like family and offered such incredible support during a very difficult time. Due to COVID 19, a limited Service will held at Coast Hotel Kamloops on August 01 in Ballroom A from 10-12 pm with a Funeral Service to follow at 12:30 pm and a procession to the City Cemetery for burial. This will be a family event and if you wish to send condolences to the family, we encourage you to visit www.schoeningfuneralservice.com or gather at a distance at the cemetery at 2pm to show your support.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.Schoeningfuneralservice.com.
In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made to the charity of Dad's favourite hockey team, Canuck Place.
Schoening Funeral Services