Cecilia Chan Ng

Cecilia Chan Ng, age 76, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, peacefully passed away on November 12th, 2025 in St. Louis, Missouri. Cecilia was born on July 16th, 1949 and named Hoofai Chan. She arrived in Macau, China, as her late parents were traveling from mainland China to Hong Kong, where she grew up with her siblings: Winnie, Clara, Gloria, Beatrice, Alice, Peggy, and Nelson. With ambition to pursue her dream to go to America, she purposefully failed her entrance exams for schools in Hong Kong and Taiwan to ensure she could travel to the United States and attended college.

Equipped with fearless determination and an indomitable spirit, Cecilia boarded a cruise ship in Hong Kong which stopped in Japan and Hawaii before arriving in San Francisco, California. She overcame the culture shock of stumbling into San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury in the late 1960s, and eventually traveled to Wisconsin to attend the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Cecilia graduated from UW-La Crosse with degrees in Chemistry and Biology in 1973.

After graduation, Cecilia began working as a Medical Technician at hospitals in Detroit, MI. Soon after, at a New Year’s Eve party, she met a young, handsome chemical engineer named Roger Ng. Cecilia and Roger were married on June 27, 1976 and five years later welcomed their first child. Their son, Benjamin, arrived after they moved to Dearborn, MI in 1981 and their daughter Jennifer just three years later in 1984. In 1990, after Roger underwent surgery for a serious health condition, Cecilia displayed more of the unconquerable fortitude that defined her life. 

Throughout the years, Cecilia worked in various sectors, quietly doing the work of helping provide for her family. Later in her career, Cecilia returned to school to obtain a technology degree and worked for Ford Motor Company, managing the distribution of technological equipment across Ford’s Dearborn, MI campus, until her retirement. In 2015, Cecilia and Roger moved to St. Louis, Missouri. Until her final breath, she faithfully cared for Roger and provided constant resolve and unending support throughout the challenges their family faced. Cecilia is survived by her husband Roger, son Ben (Jill), daughter Jennifer (Derek), and six grandchildren, Jacob, Tashari, Charlie, Bella, Henry, and Austin.

The Ng’s story is one not unique to many immigrant families—a story of resolve, willpower, and a determination to make a better life for their family. What made Cecilia’s journey remarkable was the grace and quiet strength with which she lived. She came to America armed with courage and ambition, and through decades of perseverance built a life filled with love, family, and purpose. Her legacy endures in the lives of her children, the values she instilled, and the countless people she touched through her kindness and steadfast care. Cecilia’s hospitality and recipes have inspired her family and friends who were lucky enough to partake to provide a similar generosity to others, in her memory.

A service will be held in the future to grieve the incredible loss of this caring and loving woman, Cecilia Chan Ng.  More information will be shared when it is scheduled.