Muriel Y. Y. Leong's Obituary
Muriel Y. Y. Leong
2/14/2019 – 1/14/2016
Muriel Yuk Yung Ho Leong passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 14, one month shy of her 97th birthday. Second oldest of 16 children, she was born in Puna, Hawaii to father Ho Mai Sing and mother Young Sung Yee. To help her family, she was sent at age 12 to work as a maid, the first of many challenging jobs. In 1936 she married Sun Leong and dedicated her life to provide lovingly for their children – Ronald, Joyce, Oren and Karen.
Muriel blossomed from a timid housewife into a vivacious, enterprising woman. She worked as a waitress at the Red Rooster, the Wagon Wheel and the Halekulani. Waitressing was an art she perfected over 32 years. Tourists worldwide wrote her thank you letters. Purveying homemade chutneys & jams to supplement wages, she funded college for her children. Always self-sacrificing, she gave generously to family and friends. Her one personal reward was to replace the old house at 3456 Campbell Avenue with a new one in which she lived happily alone.
In 1981 Muriel launched a second career in childcare, fostering social skills in ages 0 -4, specializing in potty-training. By word of mouth, working mothers sought her out and entrusted their newborns to her. Over a period of 20 years Popo tended to 148 children.
She loved puttering in her yard. Edibles sprouted everywhere – limes, figs, watercress, bok choy, onions, squashes, noni. Muriel was also a voracious reader and writer, scribbling notes to record her life until her sight was afflicted with macular degeneration. Garrulously she continued to regale all with her dramatic tales until the very end.
Son Ronald died in 1954. Husband Sun Leong died in December 2000. Muriel is survived by daughters Joyce Chuang (Dr. Katok Chuang) and Karen Fenton (Jay)and son Dr. Oren Leong (Dr. Jo Ann Leong); five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Her surviving siblings are sisters Betty Araujo, Billie Ching, Elizabeth Martin and Janet Crabbe; brothers Thomas Ho and Peter Ho.
Thank you to Teo Gallegos and her staff at A Caring Touch for their loving attention to Popo in her final years.
Aloha Attire
Flowers are welcome
No Monetary Gifts
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