Bob Hong

Our beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather has been promoted to his forever home in heaven! Because of his trust in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, Bob Hong is enjoying eternity with the saints who have gone before him. Born at home in Custer, Washington to Vera and Malvin Hong on September 4, 1923, he grew up on their family farm on Northwest Rd., attended North Bellingham Grade School, and graduated from Ferndale High School in 1940. He worked his way through Success Business College in Bellingham with part-time jobs as janitor, dishwasher, menu-typist, bill collector, and sheet-metal apprentice. He served in the army from January 1943 to March 1946 first at Fort Lewis for basic training, and then in Washington D.C. at the Office of Strategic Services. Beginning in June of that year, he continued his education in the areas of agriculture and education, graduating from Washington State College in Pullman in July 1949. In December of that year he married the love of his life, Jean Paton and they established their home on West Axton Road in the 50’s and moved to Fort Bellingham in 1960. From 1949 to 1961, Bob was the instructor for the Institutional-on-Farm-Trainings through the Ag departments of high schools in Ferndale, Lynden, and Oak Harbor. In 1961, he started the first Special Education program at Ferndale High School. From then to 1978, he taught many Junior and Senior High classes including typing, and the on-road portion of Driver’s Training. Always eager to volunteer, he and Jean spent their summers from 1973 through 1979 teaching Bible and other subjects in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. Bob retired from public school teaching in 1978 to study Bible at Regent Grad School in Vancouver B.C., and he launched on his next adventure with his wife who retired from public school teaching in 1980. They served as career missionaries at Maranatha Bible College in Accra, not only teaching day and evening classes, but assisting their students to learn ways to make a living with farming, and distributing gifts sent from U.S. projects such as wedding dresses, typewriters, and organizing an 8,000 book library. Returning to Whatcom county in 1991, Bob continued to do much volunteer teaching at his local church, delivering Meals on Wheels, volunteering with international students teaching literacy, and teaching 55 Alive Traffic Safety courses. He has continued to bless others with his kind, appreciative attitude, praying for the needs of others even as he has recently had to endure declining mobility and 4 years of dialysis due to kidney failure. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Jean, granddaughter Erika Jean Hong, and grandson Benjamin Robert Van Vleck. He is survived by his daughter Ruth (Steven) Van Vleck of Ferndale, son David (Lauren) Hong of Carmel, CA, and son Daniel (Lori) Hahn of Ventura, CA, 10 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren. There will be a Celebration of Life at Evergreen Community Church (6899 Enterprise Rd.) at 11:30 on January 6, 2020 followed by lunch. The family is grateful for the loving care that he received by the staff at Mt. Baker Care Center, Eden Home Health, as well as innumerable doctors and nurses who truly cared for him at each visit. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Evergreen Community Church or to The Gideons, P.O. Box 882, Lynden, WA 98264.

Bob Hong

September 4, 1923 - December 26, 2019