Jessie Wong Echavia
May 2, 1925-May 9, 2021
Pleasanton, California

Jessie Wong Echavia, 96 years, passed peacefully on Mother’s Day, May 9, 2021 at San Ramon Regional Medical Center. She lived in Pleasanton for over 55 years and most recently resided at Rosewood Gardens, Livermore.

Born to Bing “Harry” and Lena (Tom) Wong, she shared her childhood years with her siblings in Oakland Chinatown. She attended Lincoln School and Oakland Technical High School. In 1941 she married Wing Yee. She worked as a typist at Mare Island Naval Shipyard during World War II. In 1953 she married Margarito “Mike” Echavia. Her excellent organizational skills highlighted a long career in the apparel industry where she began in Oakland and led later to managing offices in San Leandro and South San Francisco. While working full-time and raising six children, she and Mike also managed several restaurants including the Red Coach in Pleasant Hill and Wagon Wheel in Pleasanton. Jessie lived her life to the fullest.

She was an avid traveler who savored cross-country road trips and also visiting the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. She enjoyed crochet, museums, Barry Manilow music, root beer floats, murder mystery documentaries and she never turned down an opportunity to visit a casino and its “one-armed bandits.” She was a loving mother and her proudest accomplishment was doting on her eight grand- and ten great-grandchildren. As the beloved matriarch of “Team Echavia,” Jessie reunites in Heaven with her spouse, daughter Marilynn Lum, parents, brothers William, Henry, Johnson, Warren, sisters Josephine Toy-Lim, Stella Wong and Annie Joe, and former spouse.

She is survived by daughters Marjorie Yee, Pamela Carleton (Dan), Belinda Quan (James), Christine, son Anthony (Ann), grandchildren Taryl Rodnick (Matthew), Jacqueline Picton (Cory), Katrece Hunt (Peter II), Jamie Brown (Michael), Tammy Quan, Kathryn, Michael and Christina Echavia, great-grandchildren Peter III, Marilynn and Ryan Hunt, Lance, McKenna, Hayden and Patrick Picton, Eva Brown, Aurora and Kai Rasmus, brother Hoover (Violet) Wong; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. To honor Jessie’s wishes, there will be a small service for immediate family members only. A larger gathering to celebrate her life will be planned for a later date. Interment of ashes will be at St. Michael’s Cemetery, Livermore. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to: Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Wa Sung Community Service Center, or American Cancer Society.