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Eng, George Hong
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- Ng, George Hong
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Description area
Dates of existence
1919-1980
History
George Hong ENG was born in Vancouver in 1919, the son of millworker ENG Jack Heen.
He was born shortly after his parents had lost three children to the deadly 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. His nickname was "Gow Doy" (translated as puppy dog) because his parents believed he could be treated like a dog who just needed an occasional bone tossed his way. This attitude may have been their way of "tricking" the gods by seeming to not care for this child in the hopes he would be spared from an early death.
George attended Norquay and Carleton Schools until grade 5 when he was sent to work at the lumber yard doing odd jobs for the men working at the camp. At lunchtime, he ran from school to the camp. However, by the time he reached the camp, there was little food left for him. One of George’s jobs was to fill up buckets of water from the nearby creek.
As an adult, he worked as a self-employed truck driver delivering wood and coal to people's homes. Years later, George drove for a construction company and became a proud member of the Teamsters Union.
His family described George as a talented, self-taught man who loved to read, and indulge in his hobbies: taking, developing and enlarging his own photographs and playing the trumpet.
To his three daughters—Beverley (known as Bev Wong after marriage); Merrilee and Georgia—he was also seen as being incredibly loving, supportive, caring, and protective. One night, in the early morning hours, someone tried to break into the house. George ran out the door, wrestled the thief to the ground, and waited until the police arrived. He was stark naked at the time!
He passed away in 1980.
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