Obituary of Shirley Ying Lan Wong

June 26, 1934 – Toishan, China

September 24, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta

 

Shirley Ying Lan (nee Mah) Wong of Calgary, AB, passed away peacefully in Calgary on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at the age of 90 years.

 

Shirley was born in Toishan, Guangdong, China, on June 26, 1934, in a small rural village where she received little to no education and spoke Toisanese as her primary dialect throughout her life.

 

As a teenager, Shirley was introduced to Don Gok Wah Wong by Don’s mother, Dong Shee Wong. They were married shortly thereafter in 1951, and their first son Norman was born in 1952 in Toishan. They escaped to Hong Kong in 1954 during the political turmoil in China and their second son, John, was born in 1955.

 

After John was born, Don left for Canada to establish himself in a new country before he sent for Shirley and their sons to come to Calgary from Hong Kong. In the summer of 1958, Shirley and the boys took an airplane from Hong Kong to Vancouver and arrived in Calgary to start their new life as immigrants. Following their move, they gave birth to a third son, Peter, in 1959.

 

Don spent several years honing his skills as a pastry and Chinese cuisine chef prior to moving from Calgary to Revelstoke, where he and Shirley along with other partners ran the Manning’s restaurant. This restaurant provided meals for many of the workers who built the Mica Dam in central BC. 

 

In 1967, Canada’s Centennial Year, Shirley and Don returned to Calgary and opened the Golden Gate Restaurant, which was the first in the community of Willow Park to serve Chinese cuisine.

 

Subsequently, the Golden Gate was moved to Acadia where the restaurant remains to this day. At the Golden Gate Restaurant, Don and Shirley worked tirelessly seven days a week in the kitchen making Chinese and Western meals for their hungry customers. 

 

Shirley and Don operated the Golden Gate for over 23 years before selling the operations to his son John, who ran the restaurant for another decade. It was at the Golden Gate that the couple fulfilled their dreams as immigrants in the Gold Mountain (the name Chinese immigrants gave to Canada). It was at the restaurant that they imbued their work ethic on their three children, who worked nights and weekends at the restaurant when they went to school and university.

 

In addition to the Golden Gate, the couple also helped others start a second restaurant called the Silver Gate Restaurant in the community of Ogden.

 

Shirley and Don retired around 1990 and moved to Vancouver for several years before returning to Calgary for their golden years. They enjoyed many decades of playing Mah Jong in the Chinese Community and took the opportunity to take many trips cruising around the world and visiting Las Vegas, one of their favourite places to spend a few days.

 

Shirley and Don were married for 73 years. They were each other’s constant companions throughout their lives.

 

They were very proud of their three sons who they put through university; Norman became a professor of medicine at the University of Calgary, specializing in endocrinology. He is married to Tracy, and they have two sons; Mark, and Robbie.

 

John, in addition to owning the restaurant for ten years, got his doctorate degree in Chemistry and worked as a research scientist for Pfizer in Connecticut until his recent retirement. He is married to Avy, and they have three daughters; Michele, Rachel, and Lianne.

 

Peter obtained his law degree from Queen’s University and has practised law in Calgary for over 40 years. He is married to Lily, and they have a daughter Lucinda, and a son Max.

 

Their family grew large with the addition of their seven grandchildren; Mark (Denise), Robbie (Victoria), Michele (Jason), Rachel (Eric), Lianne, Lucinda, and Max, and the five great-grandchildren; Victoria, Olivia, Isabella, Samuel, and Celine.

 

They were truly blessed in life with prosperity, long life, and family. Shirley and Don passed away within a month of each other, ensuring that both in life and death, they would be together. 

 

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Shirley’s family here.

 

In living memory of Shirley Wong, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 Centre Street North, Calgary, AB T2E 2V6, Telephone: 403-276-2296.