Ms. Agnes Wong

Obituary

Mother. Grandmother. Sister. Friend. Agnes Wong was all this and more to the people in her life. But these connections, deep and meaningful as they were, only tell part of her story. She had her own way of moving through the world, living her life with a courage and strength that sometimes went unnoticed beneath the daily rhythms of life and relationships.

Born Wong Kam Kun on January 28, 1937 in Hong Kong, Agnes was the daughter of Wong Pun Cheuk (father) and Li Shau Ha (mother). While privilege shaped her childhood, her family’s wealth, combined with the culture of the times, came with limits and expectations that had her yearning to break free.

And break free she did. When her dreams of studying English Lit in university were dismissed as the purview of men only, she didn’t fight back—but she didn’t exactly follow, either. She went where she was sent, did what she was told: a stint at finishing school followed by a year at the Pasadena Playhouse Theatre in California. And it was here, in these places meant to prepare her for a life planned by others, that she began turning away from expectations to start shaping a future on her own terms.

Agnes never thought of herself as a rebel. In later years, she’d reflect in her memoirs, “I never rebelled. Growing up in the kind of family I was in, I never knew or ever thought that I could rebel.” But while she wouldn’t have called it a rebellion, it truly was: a beautiful, glorious rebellion that was brave, necessary, and completely hers.

Her daughters, Belle, Dawn, and Joy, who is remembered with love, remain her deepest testament, their stories made possible because she had the tenacity and courage to leave behind a world that could never truly fit who she was. And, while the weight of that world stayed with her far longer than she liked, sometimes leading to painful detours and choices that didn’t always take her where she hoped they would, she kept going.

It took time. Years of trying and failing and trying again. Then, in her 60s, Agnes joined the Falun Dafa, one of the first steps she took that felt fully her own, a quiet, steady turn inward. And when she moved from Toronto to Niagara Falls in her 80s, away from the comfort of proximity to her daughters, now grown with families of their own, it wasn’t a turning away. It was her stepping fully into herself, learning how to live a life shaped not by what others thought she should do, but by what she actually wanted. A fiercely independent life that was, perhaps for the first time, deeply her own.

Agnes passed away peacefully on September 7, 2025 in St. Catharines, Ontario, leaving behind a legacy of love, strength, and resilience. She is survived by her daughters Belle Wong and Dawn Becker, and her beloved grandchildren Sean, Hayley, Miku, Julian, and Cole. In her passing, she is reunited in spirit with her daughter Joy, who passed away twenty years ago, and whose presence has never left the hearts of those who love her.

Agnes will always be remembered for her kindness, resilience, and the way she brought light to those around her. Though she is no longer with us in body, her spirit lives on through her children, grandchildren, and the lives they continue to build with love and intention.

Family and friends that are unable to attend in person are welcome to join us via livestream using the link below:

Livestream

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Kidney Foundation.

Please click here to view a short documentary on Agnes Wong made by her granddaughter. Please use password: evilpopdragon

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Cremation