Former Red Deer city councillor and dedicated community volunteer Frank Wong has passed away.
Wong, 75, came to Red Deer in 1971 and was a city planner for more than 30 years before being elected to council in 2004. He would serve five terms before retiring in 2021. He had been in hospital for some time before he died on Wednesday morning.
Former mayor and councillor Tara Veer was first elected to council the same year as Wong in 2004.
“Frank often referenced the Class of 2004 and wanted us to commemorate it,” Veer recalled fondly.
“It is a great loss to the community. He really was an incredible person.
“There were so many things about Frank. Frank above all, brought a great sense of humanity to our council. He always truly saw people and their needs.
“He gave generously of his time to so many community organizations. Everyone he encountered would become a friend.
“On a public policy level he was always very committed to sound city planning and he was a passionate advocate for north Red Deer.”
Wong was good friends with Coun. Michael Dawe, who passed away on Christmas Eve.
In many ways, they were alike, said Veer.
“They both really were so similar in their involvement in the community and their kind-heartedness. In different ways, they both left a big mark.”
City Coun. Cindy Jefferies, another member of the Class of 2004, remembers Wong as someone deeply involved in the community.
“He was always very connected. He knew what was happening and kind of had the heartbeat of the community in many ways,” said Jefferies. “He was a very caring man.
“Certainly, he was a champion for north Red Deer. He would never let us forget, ‘What about north Red Deer?’”
Former councillor Lynne Mulder, who also first joined council in 2004 paid tribute on Facebook.
“Frank was a very generous man and was always there for the vulnerable people and agencies in our city! I served with Frank on City Council for 13 years and he was always a strong supporter of Red Deer North and was always making sure they were heard when making decisions at the council table!”
Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston announced Wong had passed away on his Facebook page on Wednesday, calling him a “wonderful champion of our city. I will always remember Frank for his generosity and his wisdom,” Johnston wrote and posted a photo of he and Wong helping out at The Mustard Seed.
Wong was born Woon Woon Wong in December 1948 in the family village at Chow Buck Alley, Chow Tung 38 Village, in Toi Shan, Kwang Tung, China, according to a family history he helped prepare for a Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery immigration retrospective.
He was the fourth generation of his family to immigrate to Canada. His great-grandfather arrived in Saskatchewan around 1900 and his grandfather followed in 1916 and with two brothers worked in the restaurant and laundry businesses in Saskatchewan.
As the oldest child of Wong Sut Ying and Yee Kwan, Frank was chosen to join his grandfather in Canada. At the age of five he moved to Hong Kong to live with his grandmother before enough money was saved to send him to Canada when he was nine. He came to Canada under an assumed name, Woon Tong Chiu, and was passed off as the son of two other Chinese immigrants posing as his parents.
He lived with his grandparents in Swift Current, Sask. until 1963, when he and his grandmother moved to Oyen, Alta. after the death of his grandfather.
His uncles owned the Star Café in Oyen and Frank would work there after school, sending a portion of his earnings to his parents in China. After high school, he studied architectural technology at SAIT.
In 1970, he reclaimed his name under an amnesty program and as Frank Wong, moved to Red Deer in 1971. He worked for the Red Deer Regional Planning Commission, Silver Star Restaurant, Club Café and John Horn Survey to save enough money to bring his parents and a younger brother and sister to Canada in 1977. Another sister was married and stayed behind in Hong Kong, but would come to Canada in 1997.
Wong was an active volunteer in numerous organizations, including the Red Deer and District Chinese Community Society, Kidney Foundation of Canada, Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society, Friends of Sunnybrook Farm Society, Red Deer and District Museum Society and was an original member of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Foundation. He was also an active member of Knox Presbyterian Church.