A Celebration of the Life of Ma Wong 25/11/1935 - 03/08/2020
A few weeks ago, it was my privilege to officiate at the funeral of Theresa Wong or as she was known affectionately, Ma Wong.
Ma Wong was the matriarch of her family, was born on the 25th November 1935 in the French Concession in the city of Shanghai, China, and she passed away at the age of 84 after suffering a stroke in Sydney where she lived.
Ma Wong was a dignified, accomplished woman, an academic and a teacher who was proud of her Chinese heritage. She was a tough, stoic, practical lady, sometimes stern, she kept a lot to herself, but her heart could easily be melted, and her grandchildren usually did the melting...they were her soft-spot. She'd worked hard and navigated through the ups and downs in her life - she'd had her share of tragedy.
Over the last few years Ma Wong had struggled through several health issues and we are all grateful that she didn't suffer any pain and her passing was quick and peaceful.
Ma Wong had come to terms with her age and ailments and was quite accepting of her death.
Fortuitously, earlier this year, Ma Wong's granddaughter Jasmine had a school assignment to interview a person with an interesting story to tell. Jasmine interviewed her grandmother and I was so touched with what Ma Wong had to say in this interview, that I asked her family to kindly give me permission to share it here on my blog. She had an amazing spirit and I can see why her family adored her so much.