David Koc Tung Pao

David Koc Tung Pao, beloved son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on July 23, 2022. Born in war-torn China in 1938, David was given the Chinese name “Koc Tung,” which means Pillar of the Country: a big name for a child, who preferred playing over studying, often getting into trouble with his friends. And his friends were not always of the human variety. Even as a child, he loved animals, and over the course of his life, he would have many pets, including dogs, cats, birds, fish, turtles, and countless other small creatures.

In 1958, during the Great Chinese Famine, David reunited with his father in Hong Kong, where he had moved in search of a better life. A decade later, David met his wife, Esther, on a double date and after a year, the two married. In 1976, David opened his own tailor shop in the Sheraton Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The shop bore a highbrow name, “Prince Co.,” but that was purely by coincidence. David had simply named the shop after their darling long haired Chihuahua, who was already so named when they adopted him. In 1979, David had his son, William, who made him so very proud, and three years later, his daughter, Angela, who would forever be the apple of his eye.

Dreaming of a better life for his kids, just as his father did before him, David immigrated to the US in 1985. At 47, David dared to start over, despite not knowing the language or the culture. In 1988, he opened his second shop, a jewelry store in Downtown Los Angeles’s Jewelry District. This time, he named the store “Esther Jewelry,” after his greatest love. And while life did not unfold entirely as he had hoped, David eventually attained his lifelong dream of owning his own home, purchasing a house on a quarter acre lot in the San Gabriel Village, where he would spend the rest of his life.

Family was of utmost importance to David. Until his kids graduated high school, he insisted every night that the family eat dinner together and take an evening stroll after. “Just the four of us” was a common mantra for the Pao family. And even at 84, David still carried a picture of his mother in his wallet to keep her close. He also spoke often of his sister, Anne, who kept a watchful eye on her older brother even from across the ocean and provided him tremendous support. In his later years, David enjoyed gardening and reading the newspaper while listening to the radio on his patio. David also became a marvelous cook, and cooking for his kids and his daughter in law, Ellie, and son in law, Mike, was often how he showed them his love. And his friends and family can always count on him to provide interesting musings about life.

Ultimately, David took his parents’ dream for him and gave it his own twist. He became the pillar of what mattered most to him: his family. David is survived by three of his five sisters, Judy, Helen, and Anne; his wife; his two kids; and his three grandchildren, Imogen, Owen, and Evelyn—who brought him amazing joy in the twilight of his life and all of whom share his love of animals.

A funeral service for David will be held Saturday, August 13, 2022, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Rose Hills Memorial Park- Hillside Chapel (Gate #17), 3888 Workman Mill Rd, Whittier, California 90601. A celebration of David's life will follow at 6:30 pm at a private location.

If you would like to send flowers, please have them delivered to the Hillside Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park on August 13th from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.