Obituary: Shirley Y. Szeto, 84, Of Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT — (From Wallingford Funeral Home): Shirley Y. Szeto, 84, of Wallingford, passed away in her home on Monday, October 31, 2022. She was predeceased by her husband, the late On Cheung Szeto.

Shirley was born in Canton, China, November 2, 1938, a daughter of Quon Leong Yung and Yok Ying Ng. She demonstrated an amazing amount of resiliency throughout her life; due to the circumstances of the time, she could not join her parents in the US and grew up in Hong Kong in the care of a relative and ultimately, in boarding schools. She left a job as an office clerk in Hong Kong and emigrated to the US with On Cheung and their newborn, finally reuniting with her parents after 20 years.

A work-from-home mom, she and On Cheung raised three children in Brooklyn, NY. Her Lo Mein was in-demand for school functions. When their first grandchild was born, Shirley journeyed from New Jersey to Wallingford each Monday to help watch the baby three days a week. This continued until she and On Cheung moved to Wallingford, where they helped raise two granddaughters.

She loved red roses most, and joyfully watched her grandchildren perform in preschool celebrations, and other plays and concerts. She was a Sudoku whiz, completing the puzzles in pen with no side notes.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Cissy and Fred Kulakowski, with whom she resided; son and daughter-in-law, Edward and Ruth Szeto; son and daughter-in-law, David and Frances Szeto; and her beautiful grandchildren, Victoria, Karena, Lydia, Joanna, and Samuel.

A funeral service will be held Friday, November 4, at 5 p.m. at St. John Lutheran Church, 520 Paddock Ave., Meriden. Her family will receive relatives and friends in the narthex of the church from 4-5 p.m. before the service. Interment will be private in All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to St. John Lutheran Church in Meriden or St. John Lutheran Church & School, 1104 E. 3rd St., Merrill, WI 54452, or Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1801 Russell Rd., Alexandria, VA 22301. Arrangements are under the direction of The Wallingford Funeral Home.

For more information and to leave online condolences, visit Wallingford Funeral Home here.