Stephen Ross Ong (5 January 1949 - 28 November 2023)

The Editor is very sorry to learn of the passing of the eldest member of the Elkhart branch of the family, and extends his condolences to Stephen's family.  His was a life dedicated to God, family, and service to others.  RIP

From Legacy.com:
 

Stephen Ong, 74, of Greeley, passed away on November 28th, 2023 in Greeley, Colorado. He was born to Richard and Mary Alice (Glace) Ong on January 5, 1949 in Elkhart, Indiana.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Wabash College and graduated with his MBA from the University of Chicago while working for NIBCO in Indiana. He was a hard worker and always wanted to do something big with his life. He chose the best and most honorable occupation of ministering to others. He loved his Lord and Savior and loved sharing that with people he met. He met and later married the love of his wife, Teresa Swinney, while earning his M. Div. at Denver Baptist Theological Seminary. They celebrated their 45th anniversary this year with a two-week cruise on the Queen Mary 2.

He loved traveling to England with student groups and enjoyed reading and teaching history. He enjoyed playing word games with his grandchildren and playing golf with his family. Above all, he enjoyed his time with his Bible daily. After he trusted Christ at age 23, he felt called to pastoral ministry. He pastored for four years at Gilcrest Baptist Church and then moved to Greeley to found Reformation Baptist Church (originally Victory Baptist Church). He devoted his life to Christian education and also founded Colorado Heritage Education School System for home school families in 1991 and Chambers College in 1998. He was still teaching until the day he passed. His unique and infectious laugh and his devoted service will be missed by all who knew him and loved him.

Stephen is survived by his wife, Teresa Ong; children, MaryBeth (James) Clifford, Christopher (Christy) Ong, Sarah (Jerry) Porter, Brandon (Chelsea) Ong, Alice (Jonathan) Wishart, R. Baxter Ong, and Katherine Ong (Mario Jaraba), 16 grandchildren; siblings B.Nelson and Page Onge and large extended family and multitudes of friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents; siblings, David Ong, Kevin Ong, and Megan Corbridge.

Memorial contributions in Stephen Ong's name can be made out to the Reformation Baptist Church Building Fund in Care of Lighthouse Family Mortuary, 2525 W 16th Street #C, Greeley, Colorado 80634. To leave condolences for Stephen's Family, www.lighthousefamilylfm.com

A memorial service will be held at 4 pm, Monday, December 11, 2023 at First United Methodist Church, 917 10th Avenue in Greeley.

Kevin Edward Ong (2 September 1957 - 1 March 2023)

 

Condolences to the "Elkhart (IN) branch" of the family tree which lost a beloved father, brother and uncle, as well as a cousin to all the rest of us.  Below is Kevin's touching obituary composed by his family.  RIP

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“One Day More” was Kevin’s favorite song from the musical Les Miserables and the line “I did not live until today” completes his life from earth to his heavenly home.

Kevin was born on September 2, 1957 in Elkhart to the late Richard and Mary Alice Ong. While in high school he loved being a part of the Concord Marching Minutemen and being able to verbally express himself in a speech competition or hold the floor during a debate. Not only could Kevin speak eloquently, but he was also given the nickname “Blue Velvet” because he wore an elegant blue velvet jacket to every competition. He graduated from Concord High School in 1976 and went on to attend Hillsdale College, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in speech and theater with a minor in English. But Kevin was not done learning, he also graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a master’s degree in education.

Kevin was hired at Elkhart Central where he taught speech, theater, and English for 34 years. Because he loved being a part of speech and debate during his high school years and he wanted the “next generation” to gain confidence and succeed in their future, Kevin gladly took on the extracurricular job of head speech and debate coach.  He even went on to become a board member for several years and eventually the Executive Director for three years for the Indiana High School Forensics Association. For his dedication to the craft, Kevin earned Diamond Status for coaching speech from the IHSFA, was inducted into the IHSFA Hall of Fame and coached three students into the Nationals Speech Competition. He spent many long evenings after school, working with students and many long Saturdays going to speech tournaments throughout the area – after all, who doesn’t love getting up at the crack of dawn on your day off to take a group of high schoolers to a speech invitational. Kevin loved it!

When he wasn’t at speech and debate competitions, he could be found in the school auditorium directing thespians as they practiced a fall or spring show. His favorite play was “Noises Off” and during his tenure as director had it produced three times. Kevin was also an amazing set designer and set builder for each production.

During this time, he met and fell in love with Valerie “Val” Wiseman. They were married on July 7, 2007 and had the opportunity to “go to the land down under” and enjoyed their honeymoon in Australia. Kevin had a photographer’s eye and took many pictures on their honeymoon and then he was always the one taking pictures at family gatherings or on vacations.

In their home he used his set design and building talents to add a three-tier side deck with two patios to the house and he even had fun laying wood and tile flooring – if he and Val did it together. The two also enjoyed going to movies, the theater (both professional and amateur), the casinos and out to Las Vegas.

Kevin was an avid reader, especially of “Lord of the Rings”, Clive Cussler or Dick Frances novels. As an English major, he also loved to write. He authored several essays, short stories and several articles that were published in the Notre Dame Magazine. He also wrote a dinner-theatre murder mystery, titled, “A Murder in Cripple Creek.”

 Those left to lovingly remember Kevin are Valerie; his sons, Jonathan (TeeA), Jeremy (Risa), and Geoffrey (Janet); grandchildren, Rebekah, Lawrence, and Bethany; and brothers, Steve (Teri), Page, and B. Nelson. Kevin was preceded in death by his parents, a brother David, and a sister Megan Corbridge.

Those that knew Kevin will remember his humor, especially his use of puns. Even when his illness was much progressed, he started putting family photographs on the kitchen window...his last pun...a picture window.

Kevin lost his battle with Frontotemporal Dementia, but we know he is once again speaking and debating, probably with his brother David in heaven. In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to The Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) online at www.theaftd.org.

 Funeral services for Kevin will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 9 at Hartzler-Gutermuth-Inman Funeral Home, 403 W. Franklin St., Elkhart. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 8 and one hour prior to the service.

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The original obituary and much interesting commentary can be found here.

William Thompson Ong (6 February 1930 - 28 January 2023)

The Editor's cousin (4th, once-removed), and I believe at the time of his death the oldest living male descendent of the American branch of the family (I usually addressed him as "Dean of the Ongs"), Tom Ong, passed away last week, just nine days before his 93rd birthday.  While we never met, we maintained a correspondence over many years, mostly via Facebook where he was long an active observer of world and national affairs, impressively so for a person of his generation.  After retiring from a career in advertising, Tom turned his creative focus towards fiction, and his novels are available on Amazon here.  Condolences to his children and to everyone in that branch of the family tree.  RIP

From the Philadelphia Inquirer (Feb. 1, 2023):

William Thompson (Tom) Ong, a writer and advertising executive, died on January 28, 2023 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 93. After a career in advertising in New York, he co-founded the agency, McAdams & Ong in Philadelphia. In 1995, Mr. Ong was elected the MVP by the Philadelphia Advertising Club. "Tom was an enormous talent and a great partner," wrote Brian McAdams on Facebook. In 1996, he embarked on a career as a novelist and screenwriter. Philadelphia serves as a backdrop for many of his six novels and the screenplay of his novel "The Lion and the Eagle" that won an award from the Houston Film Festival. Mr. Ong was born on February 6, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1952, he received his BA from DePauw University. From 1953-55, he served in the US Army 513th Military Intelligence Group in Germany. In 1953, he received a MS in journalism from Columbia University School of Journalism. He is survived by his beloved partner of 33 years, Rita Eisenberg, as well as his 3 daughters Isabelle Kellogg, Samantha Cook (Jamie), and Cassandra Andrea Ong, and 3 grandchildren. He is pre-deceased by his grandson Nathaniel Cook and 2 brothers. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at The First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica, California. Donations in memory of William Thompson Ong can be made to The First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica. (fpcsantamonica.org).

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