James Wing Chow of “Longtime, Californ’” passes at the age of 102

Mr. James Wing Chow was a proud yet modest man who believed in and exemplified the virtues of self-reliance, self-respect, hard work, fidelity to family, reading, study and higher education, gumption, thrift, and respect and kindness for his fellow human beings.

A graduate of Galileo High School and Chung Wah Chinese Central High School in San Francisco, Mr. Chow was born on May 12, 1921 in San Jose, California, at 338 N. Market Street, near that city’s then Chinatown, a small but vibrant community facing economic hard times and anti-Chinese sentiment.

He was the second of three sons of his father Jue Shin and his mother Jung Shee and the only one born in the U.S. His father was a merchant who ran a general store on North 4th Street in San Jose and his mother was a homemaker.

At the age of six months, his parents made a difficult decision and took him to their home village in Hoiping, Guangdong Province, China, to give him a Chinese upbringing in a safer, more supportive environment. A year later his mother would give birth to his younger brother.

At the age of 12, Mr. Chow returned to the United States and survived interrogation at the Angel Island Immigration Station to gain admission as a native-born U.S. citizen in July, 1934. It was the middle of the Great Depression.

A transcript of his interrogation reported noted: “Testimony has been taken from the applicant, his alleged father and a witness…. There are no discrepancies of importance and the demeanor of the witnesses was good; the applicant’s demeanor was exceptionally good, and he seemed to testify frankly and with the desire to give complete information.”

Mr. Chow’s “honesty is the best policy” attitude would be his lifelong trademark, according to his family and friends.

During his 102 years, Mr. Chow was able to get both a Chinese and an American education, serve his country in World War II as a ship fitter in the U.S. naval shipyards at Hunters Point and Mare Island, own and operate four small businesses in San Francisco and Oakland: The Fashion Center, Sani-White Laundromat, Friendly Food Market and Jim’s Egg Distributor. That was a business he loved because he got to meet a lot of wonderful people from San Francisco to Petaluma in the North Bay to Escalon in the San Joaquin Valley, getting his supply of fresh eggs and distributing them to grocery stores, sandwich shops and restaurants along the way. He retired from distributing at the age of 90.

Along with his late wife Arleen May Gong (whom he met while attending City College), Mr. Chow raised three children, his daughter Stephanie, son Christopher and stepdaughter Lisa in the San Francisco neighborhoods of Chinatown and the Richmond District.

He lived a very long and successful life that exceeded his hopes and dreams as well as those of his father and grandfather who preceded him in America. He was able to provide a safe home and enough food and access to education and opportunities for his wife and children to succeed, prosper, and achieve in life.

His only son, Christopher, broke a color line in Bay Area broadcasting by becoming the first Asian American hired as an on-air television news reporter in San Francisco (KPIX CBS 5) in 1970.

Mr. Chow was longtime Emeritus Chairman of the Board of the Chung Wah Chinese Central High School Alumni Association and six-term English Secretary of the Board of the Gee Tuck Sam Tuck Association of America, San Francisco Chapter.

On his 100th birthday, Mr. Chow was proud to have May 12, 2021 proclaimed James W. Day throughout San Francisco by Mayor London Breed and Connie Chan of the Board of Supervisors.

Mr. Chow is survived by his daughter Stephanie King, his son Christopher Chow (Mary), stepdaughter Lisa Chang (Daryl), granddaughter Jennifer Santangelo (Gianni), grandson Bruce, step-granddaughters Cheryl Hagedorn (Chris) and Catherine Lin (Henry), and step-grandson Richard Chang (Weiling), step-great-grandsons Aiden Santangelo, Owen Santangelo, Matthew Hagedorn, William Hagedorn, Kyle Lin, Alex Lin, Marcus Chang and Julian Chang.

Memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at McAvoy O’Hara Evergreen Mortuary, 4545 Geary Blvd., in San Francisco.

Mr. Chow will be interred next to his beloved wife Arleen May Gong Chow at Cypress

Lawn Memorial Park, 1697 Hillside Blvd., Colma.