Jane Wong in the early days at the State of California Microbial Diseases Laboratory in Berkeley. Courtesy of her family

Jane DeCourcy Wong, of Berkeley, passed away peacefully at home on June 29. She was 86 years old.

Born Jane Alice DeCourcy, on March 17, 1940, in New York City to Ed and Alice DeCourcy, the family moved to Connecticut shortly thereafter, settling in Milford in 1949.  

A seemingly angelic girl growing up in the 1940s and ’50s, she still managed to stealthily cause a fair amount of mischief. She graduated from Milford High School in 1958 and matriculated to Pembroke College at Brown University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology and graduated with the Brown University Class of 1962. 

She earned a master’s degree in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1965 and, heeding President Kennedy’s call to service, along with her opposition to U.S. policy in Vietnam, joined the Peace Corps requesting to serve in a Southeast Asian country. She was stationed in Malaysia and was assigned to teach chemistry and biology at Sekolah Menengah Ibrahim secondary school in Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia. It was here where she met her husband, Stephen Koon Hoong Wong, of Ipoh, Malaysia, who was the art teacher at the school. She served in the Peace Corps for three years and then spent the next year traveling through Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Her most prized possession was the passport she carried on that trip with all its extra pages.

Jane and Stephen Wong in 1970. Courtesy of her family

Jane always said one of the best days of her life was a full day in San Francisco on a layover on her way to Peace Corps training. Having spent three years in warmer climates during her Peace Corps service, and thinking about the prospect of an interracial marriage in the late ’60s, she moved to Berkeley in 1970 and was quickly joined by Stephen. They were married in 1971.

Jane worked as a public health microbiologist in the Microbial Diseases Laboratory for the California Department of Public Health in Berkeley (now located in Richmond) where she became one of the state’s experts on plague, anthrax and tularemia. She worked with multiple regional laboratories and later in her career helped develop a network of laboratories all trained to identify agents used in bioterrorist attacks. She also taught night classes in microbiology at Berkeley City College for their biotech program and spent time working for the Center for Infectious Disease Preparedness at UC Berkeley after she retired in 2002.  

Jane and Stephen raised their two children in Berkeley, and were very active in many Berkeley Unified School District programs and activities including the Chinese Bilingual Program based out of Ruth Acty Elementary (formerly Jefferson School) and the Gilbert and Sullivan Troupe at Malcolm X. They were avid supporters of the swimming and water polo teams, the Asian Student Union, and the Jazz Band at Berkeley High, often providing artistic design and practical support for team fundraisers and team gear including silk screening various club and team t-shirts by hand in a time before these things could be easily ordered online.

Her love of travel never stopped and she enjoyed trips back to Malaysia to visit family, visiting her children wherever in the world their lives took them, exploring her Irish roots and visiting family in the UK, multiple trips to National Parks with friends, and annual trips to Vegas.  

Known for her quick wit, thoughtful analysis of current political events, and a strong sense of irony with a hint of sarcasm, she had an undying devotion to social justice, equity and a true belief in the constitution. Jane was no stranger to protests and was a lifelong fierce defender of civil liberties for all.  

Jane Wong attended many protests throughout her lifetime. Courtesy of her family

She is remembered by her family for her unwavering support in all their ventures, her delight in following their adventures around the world, her devotion to family and delight as it grew and diversified more and more, her humor, her conversational skills and her hilarious and yet astute political rants.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Stephen Wong of Berkeley, her son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Jennifer of Chicago, and daughter and son-in-law, Alice and Raffi of Berkeley, along with five grandchildren, and multiple nieces and nephews worldwide. 

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