So Hoi Gong's Obituary
Hoi So Gong, age 93, passed away peacefully on January 25, 2024. He was born on November 23, 1930, in Canton, China where he spent his childhood until he immigrated to the United States in 1949. He settled in California’s Central Valley. He met his wife Carol, whom he married on July 12, 1959, and they settled in Watsonville and raised four children.
In 1965, Hoi moved the family to Milpitas, where he entered a partnership to open the city’s first grocery market. After selling the market in 1970, he worked as a butcher at Fry’s Foods Store until he realized his dream of opening his own Chinese restaurant in San Jose in 1976. In 1987, he sold the restaurant and retired at the age of 57.
Hoi enjoyed a long and happy retirement, and had a genuine passion for cooking and created dishes deemed legendary by his family. Besides cooking, he enjoyed watching Jeopardy every night with his wife Carol, the cooking channel, going to the casinos, and playing mahjong with friends.
Hoi is survived by his wife of 64 years, Carol; children Gorman (and wife Jessica), Colleen, Elaine, and Sherman (and wife Marta); grandchildren Annabel (25), Daniel (24), Mateo (20), and Samantha (17) and his sister, Mabel Young.
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