NATICK: Thomas Wah Wong, age 62, a retired MBTA operator, died suddenly at his longtime Natick home on Saturday, December 20, 2014. He was the devoted husband of M. Sharon (Orechia) Wong for 34 years.
Born in Hong Kong, he was the eldest of the four sons of Doo Ning Wong of Brookline and the late Lee Wong. He immigrated with his family in his youth to Massachusetts and went on to be an English High School of Boston graduate. He continued his education at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston where he studied photography.
Tom and Sharon were married in 1980 and made their home in Natick. After several years in the field of photography most prominently with Jon Allen of Brookline and as a freelance photographer, Tom decided to change careers and joined the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). He began his tenure as a bus driver and was soon working as an inspector. He was an operator on the Green Line’s D trains at the time of his 2008 retirement.
The Wong family enjoyed vacationing together in the mountains of New Hampshire or on Cape Cod. A man happiest with family at home, Tom is known to have been an electronics enthusiast and a great movie buff.
In addition to Sharon and his father, he is survived by a son, Bryan W. Wong of Marlborough; two daughters, Sonya M.L. Bastarache and her wife Amanda of West Boylston, and Danyelle M.L. Wong of Natick; his brothers, James M. Wong and his wife Robyn of Raynham, David K. Wong and his partner Patricia Foley of Raynham, and Richard H. Wong and his wife Gina of Arlington; his parents-in-law, Arthur and Carolyn (Strojny) Orechia of Danvers; and a large and loving extended family, among them Ed Hubbard of Natick and the Foster Family of Connecticut.
Relatives and friends may visit with the Wong Family in the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, on Tuesday, December 23nd from 4 - 7PM. Funeral services and interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations made in Tom’s memory to MSPCA, 350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130, would be appreciated.