Birth date: Jun 15, 1925 Death date: May 26, 2014
The family of Amy Fong Toy regrets to announce her passing at the age of 88 in Walnut Creek, CA. She died peacefully with her family by her side on May 26, 2014. Amy, wife, mother, and Berkeley resident for more than 50 years, was Read Obituary
"Those we love don't go away,They walk beside us every day,Unseen, unheard, but always near,Still loved, still missed and very dear."by Matt Fraser
I miss your phone calls. I miss hearing you say, "This is Mama".
Mama was an enigma. Life at home was full of surprises and often chaotic. She was as tough as a sack of nails but terribly afraid of the little critters that made their home in hers. The old adage children were seen but not heard was the law. And when she gave the stink eye or shook her fist at us, we knew we were in big trouble.It was truly amazing how she managed to keep her sanity raising four daughters. Caught in a cultural and generational warp, it seemed we were always at odds about one thing or another. She wanted us to grow up Chinese and we wanted to be American. She and Daddy pinched pennies but were generous to a fault. They worked hard to support their families here and in China. We lived modestly and were drilled honesty and integrity was paramount. I remember being sent back to return the few pennies in additional change a Safeway clerk gave me. Yet, when purchasing a ticket at the movies, bus or train station, she would remind me I was below the age the fares went up.Every September on the first day of school, classmates would share their summer vacations. Our favorite vacation destination was at Uncle Albert and Auntie Annieâ??s in Fairfield. The four of us girls took turns; envious of the one whose turn it was to go. Mama adored her younger sister, Annie. They loved hanging out together and were best friends to the very end. One favorite childhood memory was watching Mama hone her skill at throwing dice when there was the slightest word of a trip to Reno. She would shout seven come eleven as the dice flew across the kitchen floor.She and my dad were excellent cooks. We had family and friends over for dinner on weekends and holidays. There were family walks and window shopping along Shattuck Avenue. Having an ice cream soda at Edyâ??s or the corner drug store was the bomb.A favorite mother and daughter adventure was an afternoon at the salvage yard looking for a toilet tank cover to replace Juanitaâ??s cracked one. Mama loved a bargain. We rifled through dozens of them lined up against a wall and on the ground until we found a near perfect match.On one rare occasion and after a lot of coaxing from friends, she took a boat tour with a group of seniors that ferried them up close and personal to the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge. It was pure joy to see her so excited and eager to share the same experience with me. The day was a real chicken skin experience. (In Hawaii, we say chicken skin instead of goose bumps.)Way before GPS, we made a trip to Jack and Kathy Fongâ??s new house in San Leandro. She said she would navigate. Nearing the first San Leandro exit, I asked her which one I should take, she looked at me and replied I donâ??t know. Mama! What do you mean, you donâ??t know? We drove through one neighborhood after another, critiquing houses and gardens, before finally making our way to Jack and Kathyâ??s. Exasperating? Not really, because that special day was another page added to My Book of Memories. I love you, Mama.
Popo, I love and miss you dearly… Thank you for sharing and teaching me many, many things that I will always keep near and dear to me…"I carry your heart with me, I carry it in my heart"Loving you always,Maureen
Popo, I love and miss you dearly… Thank you for sharing and teaching me many, many things that I will always keep near and dear to me… "I carry your heart with me, I carry it in my heart"Loving you always,Maureen
Lit a candle in memory of Amy Toy
