It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the loss of James Richard Wong, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. He died of end-stage Parkinson's Disease on August 21, 2019, in Sunland, CA.

He leaves behind his wife of 45 years, Susan Ossanna Wong of Sunland, CA; two daughters Emilia Wong Gordon and her husband Michael Gordon of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Abigail Wong Grigsby and her husband Oliver Grigsby of La Crescenta, CA; three grandchildren, Ella Violet Gordon of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Emma Rose Wong Grigsby and Lillian Belle Wong Grigsby of La Crescenta, CA; his sister and brother, Deborah Wong and David Wong of Durham, North Carolina, and brother Mark Wong of Boulder, Colorado; and eight nieces and nephews scattered across the country.

James was born on June 15, 1951 in Rockville Center, New York, to William and Emy Lee Wong. The family moved to Morris Plains, NJ in 1962, and settled down the street from Susan's family.

Jim attended the American School of Paris during his freshman and sophomore year of high school, while his father worked on a project in France. He graduated from Whippany Park High School in New Jersey in 1969 (where he sang in the New Jersey All State Chorus), and then went to Princeton, where he graduated cum laude in 1973 with a B.S. in Biochemistry, then on to Yale Graduate School, where he earned an M.S. in 1975 and a Ph.D. in Biology in 1978.

In 1970, he and Susan reunited while working on a political campaign. They were married in 1974. Their first daughter, Emilia, was born in 1978 in New Haven shortly after Jim defended his Ph.D. thesis. The family moved to San Francisco in 1979 where Jim completed a post- doc at UCSF. He then joined the faculty of Ohio State University as an Assistant Professor in 1980, and the family moved to Columbus, Ohio where their second daughter, Abigail, was born the following year.

In 1983, Jim left academia for a job in the bio-tech industry, and the family cross-crossed the country (from Boulder, CO to Modesto, CA, then Wilmington, DE to Milpitas, CA) as Jim followed the ups, downs and merges of the plant bio-tech field over the next 10 years. In 1992 he entered the world of scientific instrumentation when he took a job at Bio-Rad Labs.

Jim was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's Disease (YOPD) in 1994 and was able to continue working for the next 11 years as the family moved two more times (to Newark, CA and Orange, CA).

Jim's successful career was cut short in 2005 when he reluctantly went on disability. He then threw himself into advocacy work for Parkinson's research and patient participation in clinical trials, giving several talks to Parkinson's patient groups and medical students at UCI. While living in Orange County, Jim and Susan joined a YOPD support group, which led to Jim becoming the first President of the California Parkinson's Group Foundation where he continued his advocacy for improving the lives of Parkinson's patients. In 2010 Jim joined the OC Tremble Clefs, a singing group for people with Parkinson's and their caregivers. This allowed Jim to return to his musical roots and sing his heart out. Jim and Susan made many good friends with other Parkinson's patients and their families. The Tremble Clefs will perform at his memorial service.

Jim's granddaughters were born in 2014, 2016, and 2018 and brought Jim (and Susan) much joy as Parkinson's marched on and impaired Jim more and more each month. Jim was fortunate to have in-home excellent caregivers which allowed Susan to work, care for the dogs, and plan their relocation in 2018 to Shadow Hills, CA to be closer to Abigail's family. A special thank-you to Jerom and Stacey, who cared for Jim (and Susan) so lovingly as the family grappled with the progression of his Parkinson's.

In February of 2019, Jim moved to the New Vista Rehab and Nursing Facility, where he was expertly cared for by their wonderful staff. He enjoyed many family visits. Upon his death, Susan carried out Jim's wish to donate his brain to the UCLA Brain Bank, where it will hopefully further aid in research into Parkinson's and other brain disorders.

We wish to thank everyone who ever helped Jim and Susan over the years: his caregivers, friends, neighbors and visitors. And his Movement Disorder Specialist, Dr. Hermanowicz of UCI, who guided us through multiple medication adjustments, hospitalizations, and therapies over the 25 years that Jim bravely battled Parkinson's Disease.

We are grateful for the years we had with Jim and the memories we made. Jim never complained about the restrictions, pain, and indignities of Parkinson's. He walked both of his daughters down the aisle and met all three of his grandchildren. Jim will be remembered for his super smart intellect, his wit and humor, the fabulous meals he cooked, and how he always did everything he could to take care of his family. Whether it was just daily life (juggling oranges to entertain the kids, helping with homework and science projects, or working in his garden) or the many family road trips to National Parks, we will remember and miss you always, Jim.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Orange County Tremble Clefs, Jim's beloved singing group. Checks can be made out to "Orange County Tremble Clefs", and mailed to: OC Tremble Clefs, c/o Parkinson's Association of Orange County, 7700 Irvine Center Dr., Ste. 800, Irvine, CA92618.