Olga E Chin's Obituary
Olga Eng Chin, 93, passed away peacefully on May 17, 2022, in Emeryville, California, her family by her side.
She was born July 19, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, the fifth child of Howard Joseph Eng and Fine Yeung Chew and grew up on Jackson Boulevard on the South side of Chicago.
Her father, Joe Eng, was a successful Chicago restauranteur who founded the Golden Pumpkin Night Club and, subsequently, Hoe Sai Gai Restaurant on West Randolph. In her youth, Olga worked (as one of Chicago’s celebrated Eng Sisters) at Hoe Sai Gai, the largest and most iconic Chinese restaurant in the United States at the time. Hoe Sai Gai and the Golden Pumpkin were exotic centerpieces of Chicago nightlife during the 30s and 40s, visited by such figures as Jack Benny and Louis Armstrong. Olga attended Marshall High School and DePaul University in Chicago.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War, she met a dashing young U.S. Army officer, Howard Chin. Olga moved to Oakland with her mother, sister, Florence, and brother-in-law, Ed, in 1955. At the time, Howard was completing his residency in pediatrics at the Oakland Children’s Hospital. Olga and Howard were married in San Francisco on June 26, 1960. They made Oakland their home and raised three loving sons, Don, David, and Douglas.
Olga enjoyed domestic and international travel, classical music, and both simple and fine dining; but her greatest joys were spending time with her husband and three sons and with her sisters, Laura, Mary, and Florence, and their families. Robbed of her eyesight in middle age and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in her later years, Olga met these challenges with resolve, courage, and dignity.
Olga and her sisters were not raised Christian. Yet, one by one, each of the Eng sisters, including Olga, followed their own paths toward faith in Christ. Olga was baptized in the presence of her son, Douglas, her daughter-in-law, Eliza, and their children, Emily, Sarah, and Nathan, at the family’s home in January 2019.
She made an indelible mark on the lives of those around her and will be remembered for her kindness, gentleness, and humility. She was unusually playful and good-humored, as evidenced by her ability to put up with three mischievous and, some might say, eccentric sons.
Olga is preceded on her journey home by her husband of 51 years, Howard; her brother, Richard; her sisters, Laura, and Mary; and her faithful and beloved yellow Labrador, Delta. She is survived by her sister, Florence; her sons, Don (Mika), David, and Douglas (Eliza) and her grandchildren, Aaron, Maia, Karly, Eila, Emily, Sarah, and Nathan.
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