Thomas Park Fong passed away peacefully at 98 years of age. Born in Taishan, China in 1926, he immigrated to America at the age of twelve to join his father and older brothers in New York City. After attending a few years of school in Chinatown, he learned new skills as a mechanic, waiter, and newspaper printing apprentice.
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Thomas met Jean while traveling in Hong Kong. They realized they were a great team, with similar dreams. They were married in 1956 and had their first child in New York City, they moved to Greenwich, CT and opened Thomas Laundry & Cleaners which served the community for over sixty-four years. Greenwich became not just the location of their business, but also the place they built a home, raised all three of their children, and felt truly settled.
Though some may have been satisfied with owning and sustaining a business, Thomas was not one to slow down. His curiosity guided him to embark on new adventures, including diving into real estate development, investments, and giving – including eventually donating parcels of land to the Town of Greenwich so that his neighbors could enjoy and appreciate the historical sites at Putnam Hill and the park at Woolen Mill Pond.
In later years, he and his wife Jean traveled with family and friends, enjoying trips around the world and bringing back stories and souvenirs.
Having learned English with minimal schooling and frequent use of the dictionary, he read the newspaper daily and also watched television, his window into the world beyond his local community. His understanding of the stories in the news inspired him to reflect on how he could contribute to the world to make it better, more full of love, care, understanding and appreciation.
He developed a strong passion for refining his life philosophies. He never lost his desire to seek and appreciate God. “Without God I could do nothing,” he often said. “God gave you a brain, use it!” He loved talking with people and shared his faith and outlook with everyone he knew – and emphasized easy-to-remember concepts: “love and care,” “time and change,” and the two most important words: “understanding and appreciation.” With these concepts, Thomas instilled in his family the values of connecting with our community and others.
Thomas loved his entire family. Along with his wife Jean, he loved to host family dinners and spend time together. He was extremely proud of his grandchildren, always expressing interest in their academics and activities, attending band concerts, cheering them on at soccer games, being impressed with their fashion designs, or forwarding articles about economics and international relations.
He enjoyed meals together with his family, especially his favorite meal, the hot dog. His family loved him dearly, and appreciated the wealth of knowledge he had gained throughout his life, the wisdom of his own philosophies and the passion he had for learning about, improving and appreciating the world. He would constantly express his awe of the world with words like “magnificent” and “wonderful.”
Thomas is preceded by his beloved wife Jean and leaves his son Robert (with Heidi), daughter Lilian (with Leo), daughter Cindy (with Hon), eight grandchildren (Jeff (with Janelle), Parker, Katie (with Owen), Doug, Steven, Michael, Melissa, Christopher), and two great-grandchildren (James and Bennett).
“Love All, Forgive All, Inherit the World.”
The wake for Thomas will be held on Thursday, August 22 4:00-7:00pm at First Presbyterian Church.
A memorial service for Thomas’ life will be held on Friday, August 23 at 10:00am at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich.
For more information or to place an online condolence; www.coxeandgraziano.com.
Thomas met Jean while traveling in Hong Kong. They realized they were a great team, with similar dreams. They were married in 1956 and had their first child in New York City, they moved to Greenwich, CT and opened Thomas Laundry & Cleaners which served the community for over sixty-four years. Greenwich became not just the location of their business, but also the place they built a home, raised all three of their children, and felt truly settled.
Though some may have been satisfied with owning and sustaining a business, Thomas was not one to slow down. His curiosity guided him to embark on new adventures, including diving into real estate development, investments, and giving – including eventually donating parcels of land to the Town of Greenwich so that his neighbors could enjoy and appreciate the historical sites at Putnam Hill and the park at Woolen Mill Pond.
In later years, he and his wife Jean traveled with family and friends, enjoying trips around the world and bringing back stories and souvenirs.
Having learned English with minimal schooling and frequent use of the dictionary, he read the newspaper daily and also watched television, his window into the world beyond his local community. His understanding of the stories in the news inspired him to reflect on how he could contribute to the world to make it better, more full of love, care, understanding and appreciation.
He developed a strong passion for refining his life philosophies. He never lost his desire to seek and appreciate God. “Without God I could do nothing,” he often said. “God gave you a brain, use it!” He loved talking with people and shared his faith and outlook with everyone he knew – and emphasized easy-to-remember concepts: “love and care,” “time and change,” and the two most important words: “understanding and appreciation.” With these concepts, Thomas instilled in his family the values of connecting with our community and others.
Thomas loved his entire family. Along with his wife Jean, he loved to host family dinners and spend time together. He was extremely proud of his grandchildren, always expressing interest in their academics and activities, attending band concerts, cheering them on at soccer games, being impressed with their fashion designs, or forwarding articles about economics and international relations.
He enjoyed meals together with his family, especially his favorite meal, the hot dog. His family loved him dearly, and appreciated the wealth of knowledge he had gained throughout his life, the wisdom of his own philosophies and the passion he had for learning about, improving and appreciating the world. He would constantly express his awe of the world with words like “magnificent” and “wonderful.”
Thomas is preceded by his beloved wife Jean and leaves his son Robert (with Heidi), daughter Lilian (with Leo), daughter Cindy (with Hon), eight grandchildren (Jeff (with Janelle), Parker, Katie (with Owen), Doug, Steven, Michael, Melissa, Christopher), and two great-grandchildren (James and Bennett).
“Love All, Forgive All, Inherit the World.”
The wake for Thomas will be held on Thursday, August 22 4:00-7:00pm at First Presbyterian Church.
A memorial service for Thomas’ life will be held on Friday, August 23 at 10:00am at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich.
For more information or to place an online condolence; www.coxeandgraziano.com.