Donald Yuen Yu's Obituary
Donald Yuen “Kim” Yu, a longtime resident of Fremont, CA, passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 3rd, 2026. His longtime wife of 42 years, Ong Neh (Ong); along with his eldest son, Johnnie, second eldest child, Anthony (Tony), and daughter, Tina, were by his side.
Donald was born in Taishan, Guangdong Province in China in 1950. He was the son of Edward Fook Hong Yee and Kam Shui Wong, who were from Taishan County in Guangdong Province in China. When he was 7 years old, in 1957, the family immigrated to Wan Chai (灣仔) in Hong Kong, where they reunited with one of their grandmothers. As a child, Donald enjoyed taking radios apart and carefully putting them back together — a curiosity that ultimately inspired his journey to becoming an electrical engineer. The family stayed in Hong Kong until 1971, when they then immigrated to the U.S. They settled in Alameda, CA in the Bay Area, where Donald
would begin his roots in America. His grandparents owned a laundromat in Alameda.
After being situated in Alameda with his family, Donald and his sister, Liza, quickly attended Laney College in Oakland. It was there that he met the majority of his lifelong, closest friends. Every summer, to save money, he worked hard at jobs such as at the Del Monte Foods warehouse. In 1976, he transferred to UC Berkeley, where he studied Engineering and Computer Sciences. After graduating UC Berkeley, he started his extensive career as a Design Engineer at a company called Signetics. He held a consecutive series of jobs in the Silicon Valley as a Senior Design Engineer at companies such as National Semicondutor, Philips and Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. He made many good friends along the way. Fast forward to 1997, he worked as a Principal Engineer at ACTEL, where he remained for 12 consecutive years. From 2009 through 2018, he worked at Global Foundries as a Senior Member of Technical Staff (SMTS) Engineer. Later in 2018, after 42 rewarding years of working as an electrical engineer, he happily retired to spend more time with his family and friends.
More impressive than his career achievements were his devotion to his family and loved ones. In 1982, Donald met the love of his life, Ong Neh Tam (maiden name). In 1984, Donald and Ong got married and held a banquet in San Francisco. They first lived in Milpitas in a townhouse that Donald purchased. In 1985, Donald and Ong gave birth to their first child, Johnnie. They enjoyed parenthood and raising their firstborn Johnnie, who enjoyed playing and going out to take walks around the neighborhood. Along with Ong and Johnnie, Donald is survived by his second son, Anthony, his daughter, Tina, his daughter-in-law, Nia, and Rob (partner of Tina). Donald is also survived by his sister, Liza How, his brother-in-law, Buddy How, and his loving nephews, Brian and Kenneth, niece Amy, and their respective families.
Donald was a devoted husband, a loving father, and a loyal friend. He was intelligent,
hardworking, generous, kind, and a lifelong learner of various subjects from literature to engineering and computer sciences. In the final years of his life, he found true joy in life’s simple pleasures: taking walks with his fur grandchild, Jackie, visiting the bookstore, reading, listening to music, and savoring the home-cooked meals lovingly prepared each day by his wife. Jackie, who turns 15 this year, will miss his grandpa dearly.
In retirement, Donald also formed many new friendships in the Fremont neighborhood, always greeting others with a warm smile and fruit to share. It was these small, meaningful moments that made a grand impact on his life—and on ours. We will hold them with us forever. Donald’s legacy lives on in the family and friends he cherished so deeply, in the lasting memories he created, and in the life he lived with integrity. We love you forever, Dad.
With love,
Ong, Johnnie, Anthony, Tina, Nia, Robert; Hoagie, Koda and Jackie
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