Dora Hoh Chow

Dora Yuen King Hoh Chow left us peacefully at the age of 91 on November 10th, 2024 in Fremont, California. She was born to Jennie Hall and Wong Siu Hing on November 4th 1933 in Hong Kong. She was the 3rd child among 4 sisters.

Dora grew up with her grandmother and two sisters in Hong Kong.  Since her grandmother was illiterate yet a very savvy entrepreneur, she acted as her assistant in translation and executing documents for her business and assets at a very young age.  That laid the foundation for her career as an executive assistant to the top executives in the Hong Kong government later in life.

As a child, she endured the Japanese occupation in Hong Kong during WWII and fled to Canton to seek refuge at a relative’s house.  After the war was over, she returned to Hong Kong with her grandma and started attending Maryknoll Convent School.  She was a teacher’s pet and  a member of the choir.  She was particularly fond of her music teacher Sister Corinne who became the principal of the school.  It was due to their close relationships that would allow her daughter to admit to this prestigious school even though she failed the admission test for kindergarten.

Dora was an outstanding student and skipped a grade during her high school years. She graduated in 1952, and was accepted by Notre Dame De Namur University in Belmont, California.  Due to limited financial resources, she decided to stay behind and took a typing and short hand course at Belilios to equip herself for job searching.  Dora joined the Hong Kong Government as a secretary. Armed with her impeccable English and typing skills, she rose through the ranks and became the head secretary of the Hong Kong Lands and Works.  She worked with many British expats and leveraged her English skills.  She was proud to work with the first Chinese Secretary for Lands and Works, Mr. Kenneth Chan Nai-Keong until she took her early retirement and moved to the US in 1986.  With her extended network, she was able to secure her position as the executive assistant at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco, and provided a reliable source of income for the family right after the big move.  She retired in 2003, serving the Hong Kong Government for 45 years.

Dora met the love of her life, Wilfred at work. It started out with a car pool driven by Wilfred with 3 other ladies, and eventually down to a trip for two. They got married on November 20th, 1964 in Hong Kong. Together they had 3 children with only 2 of them making it to adulthood.

Dora was awarded “The Best Mom” by San Francisco Sing Tao Newspaper in the year 1991 for her sacrifice for her children.

Dora was a devoted mother and often spent tireless hours after work to help her children with school work.  She would stay up at night to comfort her daughter when she suffered from an asthma attack , and tried to catch a nap in the restroom in the office during the day.  She did the same for her son when he got chicken pox.

Dora was an expert in knitting and it was her favorite hobby. She often sat in front of the TV watching the entire show with “no look” while she knitted.  Her knitting skills was well known and perhaps it was her true calling. Throughout her life, she brought her knitting needles wherever she went. The sight of her knitting whenever she had spare time was the way her family will remember her. She was so good at it that the she took part in a competition in the Hong Kong TV show “Enjoy Yourself Tonight”, only to be cheated out of first place because of technicality.  After she retired, she launched a baby blanket knitting business, and hand knitted beautiful blankets, baby cardigans, and socks for new born that many parents have kept to this day.

Dora was very generous with her time and never hesitated to help her family members and friends.  She had helped her nephews to get into the top schools in Hong Kong, her sisters to apply for public housing units and purchased their homes through the Hong Kong Home Ownership Scheme, leveraging her husband’s work relations in the Hong Kong Housing Department.  She took great care of her elderly mother until she passed.  She never hesitated to lend a helping hand whether to take a friend to the doctor’s appointment or helping them to fill out paperwork.

Dora and Wilfred traveled to many different countries and cities after their retirement. They made it an annual ritual going to Hong Kong and China to reconnect with their friends and families.   

She also enjoyed singing and dancing. Every Tuesday night, you would find her at New Asia Restaurant in San Francisco Chinatown dancing the night away with Wilfred.  They enjoyed singing karaoke and you would have heard her singing her favorite song “Love in Deep Autumn” by Alan Tam in many occasions. Dora and Wilfred kept up with their dancing even after moving into their nursing home in Fremont.  

She is survived by her son Wilson Chow, daughter Vanessa Chow, daughters-in-law, Jasmine Jiao and Karen Hong, grandsons Aidan Hong and Tristan Chow, and granddaughter Gwendolyn Chow, and her younger sister, Kitty Wong.

The funeral service will be held at Tiffany Chapel, Cypress Lawn Funeral Home (1730 El Camino Real, Colma, CA) on Friday, November 22, 2024 at 9:00am, follow by a burial ceremony at the graveside located at Hillside Cemetery Primrose Garden 4 .