Tony Edmund Kwan

Tony Edmund Kwan (Chung Kwong Kwan) of Watertown, MA, devoted and beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully among loved ones, at the age of 103, on May 4, 2024.

Oldest son of the late Chak Yee Kwan and Yu Kay Kwan (née Woo).  Much beloved husband of his adored late wife, Josephine Hom Kwan (Oi Boa Hom).  Nurturing and dear father of three children, Raymond J. Kwan and his wife Michelle of Needham and their two sons Jason and Benjamin; Hilton E. Kwan and his wife Susie of Wayland and their four children, Nicholas and his wife Sharon, Sara, Alexander, and Timothy; Judy L. Kwan and her husband John Chin of Newton and their three children Cory, Holly, and Andrew.

He leaves behind his older sister Laura (Chow Har Kwan) Cheung, wife of the late Kwei Hin Cheung, and their children Mabel Bryant, Calvert Cheung, Jennifer Luk, Dorothy Cheung, and Calvin Cheung; his younger sister Madeline (Chow Goo Kwan) Chan, wife of the late Richard Chan, and their children Vincent Chan, Arnold Chan, Wiley Chan, Michael Chan, Bruce Chan, and Carrie Chan; and his cousin Choy Cheung. He is also the older brother of the late Dr. James Chung Yeu Kwan, husband of Christine Fong, father of Alexis Kwan, Kim Kwan, Patrick Kwan, Daniel Wong, and Duncan Kwan. He also leaves behind many nieces, grandnieces, nephews, and grandnephews.

Tony was a family man, who worked hard to provide for his family.  He was a devoted husband who dearly loved his wife, Josephine.  He was a caring and supportive father of three and devoted grandfather of nine.  He was a kind, understanding, unassuming, well-spoken gentleman and gentle man, taking after his father in many respects.  He was always willing to go along and never wanted to create a fuss.  He was an avid fisherman, a great cook, and an ardent gardener.  In his younger days he would love to pack up the family on his days off and go fishing.  He loved to cook and is still known for the big delicious meals prepared for family get-togethers.  He loved eating as much as he loved cooking, and enjoyed perusing selections in take-out menus.  He loved working on his flowers and plantings in the garden and even being outdoors to mow the lawn.  And despite his wealthy early years, he was such an industrious, respectful, modest, and unostentatious man.

Tony was born October 3, 1920, in Chikan, Hoiping in Guangdong Province, China.  Tony and his three siblings, Laura, Madeline, and James were raised in a prosperous household.  He grew up in a four-story family home, "Kwan's Court", complete with servants, that was the pride of the region.  His father, Chak Yee, traveled to Canada to work at the age of 16 and stayed for sixteen hard years before returning to China.  With the money he saved, he became a wealthy and respected self-made businessman, who was elected mayor in 1938.  Tony's family owned and operated seven businesses, including a jewelry store, a movie theater, and rice mill.  His father learned the value of an education through his hardships in Canada.  He made sure all his children got degrees.  Tony received a business degree in China.

The Kwan family would eventually be scattered far and wide and their prosperity dismantled by the combination of the Japanese invasion and the Communist revolution.

Tony lived in Hong Kong for a time and it was there that a mutual friend would introduce him to his future wife, Josephine (Oi Boa Hom), who had also moved to Hong Kong with her sister, Oi Chung Hom, from the nearby village of Yan Wo Li.  A romance was still blossoming, when in 1954 Tony, with the promise of good paying work, left for Venezuela to seek his fortune.  And so the two sweethearts were separated.  But a year later, using money originally intended for her schooling, Josephine would abscond to Venezuela to be with Tony.  They would wed a few months later in Caracas.  In 1956 they would have their first son, Raymond.

In 1957 Josephine and Tony with their one-year-old son emigrated to the United States, where they stayed briefly in Brockton, Massachusetts with Josephine's parents before moving on to the Detroit, Michigan area for four years.  They lived in the same neighborhood as Tony's younger sister Madeline and her family.  It was there that second son, Hilton and daughter Judy were born.  During this time, Tony received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Detroit Institute of Technology, while also working in restaurants.  Josephine and Tony then moved back to Massachusetts with their children.

After working as a waiter and cook in different Chinese restaurants in Massachusetts, Tony saved enough to open the first of several restaurants.  In the late 1960s Tony and Josephine with the help of sister Oi Chung and brother-in-law Kin Ming Wong spent long hours running Pearl Sky a small Chinese restaurant in Whitinsville, Massachusetts.  However, with concerns that their children’s focus on academics was suffering from long hours away from home, they decided to close the restaurant.  He next opened Jade Island, a Polynesian themed restaurant in Newton.  His most successful venture by far was the opening of Tang Dynasty in 1985, also located in Newton.  It was the largest and grandest of his restaurants. When it opened the lines were out the door and there were hours long waits for a seat for a very long time.

Tony retired at the age of 75 and concentrated on family, gardening, and finally traveling with Josephine to many locales after years of hard work.  Tony was devastated by the passing of his wife, Josephine in August of 2023.  He was heartbroken, yet continued to be the kind, respectful, well-liked person that he had always been.  He is greatly loved by his children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and all he has crossed paths with. He is already greatly missed.

The visitation and funeral for Tony will be held Friday, May 10, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Eaton Funeral Home, 465 Centre St., Newton, MA, 02458.  Interment to follow at Newton Cemetery, 791 Walnut St., Newton Centre, MA 02459.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Tony E. Kwan to the Massachusetts General Hospital. All funds will be directed to the Arthritis Research Lab Fund. Donations may be made online at https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate/ or checks can be mailed to:

Massachusetts General Hospital

Development Office

125 Nashua Street, Suite 540

Boston, MA 02114

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Tony Edmund Kwan, please visit our floral store.