Husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend. Born on August 10, 1965, Kelly passed away at Saanich Peninsula Hospital surrounded by immediate family and joined our creator on October 4, 2019.
Born in Vancouver as the youngest of 4 children to Alfred and Helen Dong, he is survived by his loving wife, Leniza; daughter, Larina and son, Kyle. He was a caring, kind, thoughtful and selfless man and will be greatly missed by all. His battle with cancer was fought bravely. Kelly worked as a CMA for various ministries of the Federal and Provincial governments for over 30 years.
Our sincere appreciation to the staff, nurses and doctors at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, Victoria General and BC Cancer Agency
A full Funeral Service will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, October 19, 2019 at the Friendship Community Church, 7820 Central Saanich Road, Saanichton, BC with Pastor Tim Sawatzky to officiate. A reception will follow. Interment at Royal Oak Cemetery, 4673 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Friendship Community Church.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Erin Adelman
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Carmen Matthews I just heard about Kelly’s passing and was shocked and saddened. I worked with him at the Ministry of Agriculture and will always remember him wearing a big smile on his face. My condolences to the family.
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Dianna Watson Kelly thought me at Camosun College, a great teacher and had the best wishes for his students. Saw his name on a spreadsheet just now at work and my heart melt when i saw the reason for his termination. I quickly checked his profile and googled his name.
My deepest and sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues he will be greatly missed. I must say a wonderful human being.
May his memory comfort your hearts and brings joy to your soul.
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Rob Sorensen Kelly was a wonderful colleague and friend. He was a member of our teaching team in the Accounting and Finance department of the School of Business at Camosun College.
Kelly would typically teach an evening class in finance for us each term and was well regarded by his colleagues and his students. He had what many of us consider to be the most important qualification for teaching – he genuinely cared about his students and their success.
Here are a few comments from his students:
June 2019: Great guy that genuinely cares about his students’ success.
May 2019: Kelly is a funny guy who makes the class interesting. He tries to relate the material to real-life examples & he brings candy to class.
December 2018: Kelly invests is his students. He wants everyone to put in a solid effort to get a good grade. If a person does the homework and quizzes then they will do well. Kelly was recommended to me and I have recommended his class to several of my classmates. He makes finance interesting.
December 2018: Very enthusiastic. Explains things clearly and eager to help if you don’t understand, wants to help you succeed.
August 2018: Kelly Dong is one of the most patient and helpful instructors I have ever had. We can always get help in and out of classes, and gain lots of information about careers too!
May 2018: Kelly Dong is one of the best instructors at Camosun.
As you can see, we were all very fortunate to have Kelly at the college. He had a positive impact on so many people and we will all miss him very much.
Please accept my sincere condolences.
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Christy Standen I was heartbroken to hear of Kelly’s passing. Kelly always had a kind word and a wonderful smile whenever you met him. Our sons grew up together, and we shared many laughs throughout their school years. Our sincere and heartfelt condolences to his wonderful son Kyle, wife Leniza and daughter Larina from Conor, Christy and Maddy
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Heidi Giesbrecht Kelly and I never met in person, but his joyful spirit shone through in each of his emails that lifted our spirits as we, together, dreamed of “winning big”! He welcomed me into his little community of dreamers, and I always felt he was a special soul. Sincere condolences. It pains me that our world loses such a wonderful person far too soon.
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Catherine Gale I was very saddened to hear of Kelly’s passing. We worked together for a while at the Ministry of Health. He was a wonderfully kind and friendly presence around our office and great to work with. My sincere condolences to his family.
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Robin Wong I met Kelly only a few times while we worked at Health together, although Kelly mostly remoted in. I wish this didn’t happen to such a dedicated family man and dear friend to many of our mutual friends. Although I did not know him inside-out, all could see his gentle soul and through his generous actions, Kelly lifted up others around him as well. My sympathies to his family, Leniza, Larina, and Kyle, and to Kelly’s friends who knew him best.
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Anton Glegg When all the cards are stacked against you, and you must endure the very worst, your true character will show through. Kelly, throughout his ordeal, never once wavered in his complete love, devotion and pride in his family, his belief in his religion and in an afterlife, his extraordinary courage, his total lack of self pity, his caring for others before himself, his humor, and he never lost his smile. RIP my friend, we will miss you. My sincerest condolences to Kelly’s family.
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Rod Munro It was so good to see Kelly at a work reunion last year, after many years we had a great catch-up. Kelly was always a bright light in sometimes very dull circumstances, his enthusiasm and candid observations will be greatly missed. My thoughts go out to Kelly’s family, I am very sorry for your loss. Farewell old friend.
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Stan Jung Hello, I met Kelly at Camosun College, where he worked as a term (part-time) instructor. We only crossed paths a few times, but Kelly was always very enthusiastic, thoughtful and an all-round “nice guy” that we considered part of our finance team. His passing saddens me greatly as it was too early, and his energetic spirit will be missed here. Stan Jung
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Susan Lucato I had the pleasure of working with Kelly at Camosun College. Fond memories of pub nights and great hallway chats. He brought an energy and love for teaching that inspired us all. Kelly was a true asset to the college community and he will be missed.
Please accept my sincere condolences.
Susan
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Peter Vanderkooy As a friend of the Family, I have had the pleasure of meeting Kelly at Family dinners on a number of occasions, calm, observant and truly interested in his surroundings and the people he met and touched. One who has brought light, intelligence and feelings, he will be missed ..
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Jason Pao Kelly it was wonderful to know you as a great friend. A life cut too short. My condolences to his family for this loss.
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Ginette Lim My deepest condolences to the family.
I worked with Kelly when I was in the Ministry of Children and Families and later on, Health. When Kelly moved on in his career we were still able to connect for lunch on occasions and in our conversations I could tell how much family meant to him. He loved his kids and was extremely proud of them.
Kelly, we will miss your expertise and professionalism, but most of all, your friendship and endearing smile.
Thank you for privilege of working and knowing you.
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Guy Cookson My condolences to the Dong family. Kelly was a man who strode through life with his glass overflowing. I don’t remember ever spending time with Kelly when he wasn’t smiling and full of the joy of life. He will be sorely missed by many but his memory will always be there to inspire us. We’ll miss you Kelly. Thank you for that infectious smile!
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Murray Chisholm Condolences to the Dong family. Working with Kelly was a pleasure as without fail, he brought his enthusiasm and professionalism to every meeting and discussion. But I will remember more the chance encounters, bumping into Kelly on the street or grocery store – where he always made time for more than just a quick hello. I recall advise he gave me about submitting scholarship requests for the kids, discussions about personal finances and about family trips. He was always engaging and interesting and we always laughed. And then, there was Kelly’s long running office lottery pool! With great efficiency and organization, Kelly gave 30+ people a connection and a little dream! One more chance to say what was often spoken – thanks Kelly!
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Barb I worked with Kelly and he always made an effort to keep in touch and arrange lunches with former co-workers. He was a very nice and thoughtful person. I will miss him.
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Wayne Mau May the peace and comfort of our Lord be with Kelly’s family at this time.
I know Kelly from our UBC days. Kelly was very much a people person; approachable, friendly, humorous, inclusive. He saw the bright side even in difficult situations. His smile and laughter will be forever remembered.
Deepest condolences.
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Frank and Mary Tancredi Deepest Condolences to the entire Dong Family. Kelly was a great friend who always thought of everyone else above himself. He gave so much of himself to others. I knew him from sharing classes at Western University in 1984-86. Visited with him several times in Ottawa and in BC. Enjoyed travelling with him to Montreal, Toronto and New York. His hospitality to my wife and I when we visited in Victoria was amazing and we will never forget the great times we enjoyed. May Kelly’s spirit continue to give strength to his wife Leniza and his extended family.
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Murphy To the Dong Family,
Our sincere condolences for your loss. Although I did not know Kelly very well but the few times I did meet him, usually with his brothers he was always a very affable individual. He was much too young, May he Rest In Peace.
Murphy
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Angie Bujdioso Angie Bujdoso
Condolence to my friend Lenney Dong. She is like a sister to me. I love you guys. My thoughts is with the family in this difficult time.
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Peter Tanner My sincere condolences to Kelly’s family and friends for your loss. Kelly was such a great guy. I played floor hockey with Kelly weekly for many years, and every time we played he was always so positive, energetic and funny, and such a great sport. We will miss him.
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Amy Chan Our sincere condolence to the family of Kelly Dong. Kelly was a very thoughtful and considerate person….always thinking of others before himself. I met Kelly at UBC while I was doing my undergraduate degree in Commerce. We were all part of a business simulation course (Comm 492). As a result of this course, we all developed a strong connection working well with one another. He brought intelligence and humour to the entire group while we all stressed over our performances. Kelly will be dearly missed! A life taken much too soon! May he rest in peace.
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Rick Choo I will miss Kelly on Wednesday nights when our floor hockey group would play. He was always upbeat and excited to be playing. And I would see Kelly volunteering at the Bayview Open golf tournament.
My deepest condolences to the family and friends.
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Wallace Chow Please accept my deepest condolences.
My thoughts and prayers are with Kelly’s family during this difficult time.
I remember Kelly from our UBC days. Lots of fond memories. Gone too soon.
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Betty Weber My thoughts are with the family at this difficult time. Although it is challenging today to see beyond the sorrow, may looking back in memory help comfort you tomorrow. I enjoyed working with Kelly in Toronto for our accounting professional organization. I know his beautiful spirit will live on forever…..my deepest condolences.
I was a student of Kelly’s in his last class before he got sick. He was a wonderful, passionate teacher, that worked so hard for his students. He even came in when he was ill to supervise an exam. I’m lucky to have met him.