Educator appreciated
isles’ cultural heritage

She felt a heritage center would
enrich the lives of residents

BEATRICE CHING / 1917-2001

SEE ALSO: OBITUARIES

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By Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com

Beatrice Jook Yee Fong Ching was a studious person, said her brother Hiram Fong, former U.S. senator.

"She was a very devoted mother and a good businesswoman," said Fong.

Ching died Monday at St. Francis Medical Center in Liliha. She was 84 years old.

Ching was born in Honolulu on July 19, 1917. She was the youngest of 13 children born to Chinese immigrant parents.

Ching attended McKinley High School, University of Hawaii at Manoa and Columbia University. In 1940, she was awarded a bachelor's degree in education.

Ching taught at Farrington High, and Kapalama and Pauoa elementary schools. In 1944, she married Larry Fong Chow Ching.

Her son, Randall, said, "She was a strong-willed person who strived for us to do better.

"She was always there to help out."

Ching was the secretary-treasurer for Highway Construction Co., president of the Larry and Beatrice Ching Foundation and a member of the board of directors of the Hawaii Heritage Center, a non-profit educational center that helps to increase awareness and appreciation for the heritage and cultural traditions of Hawaii's multicultural people.

Karen Motosue, vice president of the Hawaii Heritage Center, said Beatrice and her husband helped found the organization in October 1980.

She was a caring and down-to-earth person, said Motosue.

As an educator, she believed the center would benefit Hawaii's people and enrich their lives, she said.

Ching is survived by her son Randall, daughter Thalia Choy, brother former U.S. Sen. Hiram L. Fong and six grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Nuuanu Mortuary. In lieu of flowers, family members request donations be made to:

Hawaii Heritage Center
P.O. Box 37520
Honolulu, HI 96837