David my good friend. He was a classmate in high school and college. And we had the same major in college- mathematics. But I must say he was a better athlete than me. He was a good soccer player. We have kept up our friendship since. I remember staying a night at Irene’s and David’s home in Foster City and a few nights in their Dublin home. Like me Dave loves to play poker. I will not tell you who is a better poker player. LOL!

One day, I was flying from Atlanta to Dave’s place. I remember upon landing I was told that my precious dog died. I told Dave that I could not stay and he asked to rest at his place and he will take me back to the airport the following morning. And he did. Such a good friend.

During one of our reunions in Vegas, he asked me to share a room that was given to him. A generous friend.

At one time I had a job in San Francisco and had an apartment and commuted between ‘Frisco and Atlanta. And we had great times but I had a falling out with the president of the company and quit. Dave suggested that I make peace with the president and stay. I guess he does not want to lose his ATM.

I miss Dave and I love him.

My sincere condolences to Auntie Irene, Missy , Valerie, and the rest of the family for your loss.  

I am still processing the sad news.

For me, Uncle Dave will always be remembered as the cool rock n' roll uncle" who had long hair , drove a Datsun 280z (racing green color) sports car, and whom I shared similar musical tastes  that we even  went  to the Bob Dylan /Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers concert together back in the day.  

One of my  earliest memories as a young child (4 yrs old ?)  was during the 1960s in Manila (when 3 generations of Ongs were living on Balabac Street in Quezon City) .  I recall  Uncle Dave and Auntie Irene were still dating at that time and for some reason, I got to tag along on one of their dates .  I don't know why I got designated as the 3rd wheel.... 

I am forever grateful to  Uncle Dave and Auntie Irene for their huge sacrifice in hosting my parents and my siblings and I for a month at their home in Foster City  when we first moved to the US from the Philippines back in 1981.    

It is my deepest regret that I was not able to come and visit  Uncle Dave recently  as he had been on my mind and I  was actually planning to come out and visit.   

Uncle Dave was a good and decent  man who loved his family and who enjoyed life .  He will be missed.

Jeremy Ong

Uncle Dave was a model for those of us in the family who were the youngest siblings. He was the youngest of seven and very much the one who was a bit more rebellious and different. I am forever grateful for Uncle Dave and Auntie Irene taking in my family when we first immigrated from the Philippines. He took my brothers to see Bruce Springstein and Tom Pretty (I was too young!) and we have many memories of him in his Datsun sports car.

His immense love for his family, daughters, and grandkids were a source of pride. I loved watching him revel in being Angkong and appreciate him taking Kingston on as one his grandkids. I love that he can be both kind and loving and also be hot headed and feisty at the same time (the mahjong wars I hear were legendary). He was genuinely interested in my work and would discuss politics with me and I appreciated his democratic leanings these last few election cycles.

As the youngest one in my family, I thank you Uncle Dave for showing me how to do it right and how do it in as only youngest siblings can. I pray you are free from suffering now and can feel the impact you have had on our lives! 

From Johnson "Sam" Ong, 3rd brother...

David "Bia" Qui Ong was not just our youngest sibling but a precious member of our family, having been redeemed from a challenging start. When Ama delivered David, she was very weak, and the hospital, fearing she could not care for him, urged her to give him up for adoption. Our family helper, Tiyang, insisted on bringing him home - she was his guardian angel. Both Ama and David recovered and thrived, and Ama was relieved and trusted God for her decision. We all learned to care for him deeply, earning him the affectionate nickname "Bia," Ama's pronunciation of "baby." Throughout his life, David had immense gratitude and respect for Tiyang, maintaining their connection and providing assistance. This is an example of how deeply caring, sentimental, and generous David was, showing how much people meant to him and how he welcomed them into his heart and life.

David completed our family, making us laugh, getting into trouble, and excelling in academics, sports, and everything he pursued. His resilience and determination carried him from childhood in Manila to a fulfilling life in the United States, where he built a successful career and a beautiful family. His journey from those early days to a life filled with love, laughter, generosity, and accomplishment is a testament to his spirit and strength.

Dear Irene & Family,

We’re sharing in your sorrow with love and friendship. Please accept our deepest condolences.

Joe (Toto) & Patty Santos

May God's grace be your comfort, and His love be your strength. Praying for peace for your family during this time of loss.

Please Accept our Sincere Condolences for your great loss!

From Brittany and Casey

I know Uncle Dave is up there playing mahjong, celebrating his live, & loving his family. Your in our thoughts & prayers

Dear Irene and Family, we are saddened to hear of Dave’s passing. Although we have not seen each other for awhile. We still think fondly of you and your family. Our boys still remember Dave as the one with a real arcade game in his house. Dave was special to a lot of people and I was one of the lucky ones to meet him early in our careers. May you all have peace knowing that he is in good hands now. 

Love, 

Ray and Jennifer Wong

Dear Aunty Irene, Missy and family, Val and family,

We are saddened to learn of Uncle Dave’s passing.

We remember Uncle Dave as a warm, loving person. We enjoyed his cheerful and engaging presence during family gatherings.

The passing of a loved one is a very hard life experience. It’s great comfort to know that we can lean on God for peace during this time of loss and grief.

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Sincerely,

Al and Jocelyn

From G. Guanio

There are four from ADMU class 67 that ended up with both a Math degree and an MS in Computer Science. Dave is one of the four. A pioneer in the compute field during the 1970s, he decided to become an expert in the software that makes the big IBM computers work efficiently. This an area that only a few can be good at. Dave built his professional career successfully with this expertise.

From Ernie Diokno

We each have many happy, hilarious and in some cases hidden recollections of our experiences with our good friend David. I will just focus on two from the distant past in the early sixties.

One of those years, during our summer vacation in the Philippines, Dave spent a couple of months in Hongkong with his sister's family in Hongkong. And when he came back to Manila, he gave me a "pasalubong" that I have never forgotten and for which I have always been grateful. He handed me a set of nylon strings for my guitar. I said salamat, so surprised and happy to have received such a wonderful gift. That was when I still loved to play the guitar. And I know the strings were for sure expensive and beyond my budget. I no longer play the guitar, stopped a long time ago. But I have never forgotten the precious "pasalubong". Salamat Dave, that was very, very thoughtful of you.

The other thing that comes to mind, and this is one of those hidden and rarely visited memories of our youth. Dave, Manny T, Jing Hernandez, BBP and the late Deng Bautista, and myself - we were once upon a time an aspiring singing group called "The Woodchucks" - firm in our conviction that we were the local Pinoy version of The Cascades. We did get to sing once on TV, but never again. We had fun and we had dreams. Thankfully, as we grew older, we moved on to more reachable dreams. Yes, "such stuff as dreams are made on".

Sige, David. Salamat for the pasalubong, salamat for being a friend - even though we could not have imagined both working for Oracle late in our professional lives. May God be with you.

From Dom and Delia Ho, Nenita Tan, Lucia Lim, Ed and Vivian Tan, Peter and Doehee Lee

"It is with heartfelt sadness that we learned of the passing of our friend Dave. We have known one another n gotten together for many years, especially when we were younger. We remember all the wonderful dinners at each other’s homes n sometimes poker games.

Dave was a friendly, nice-looking, well-tempered man and loving husband to his beautiful wife Irene, also a loving father to their two lovely daughters. Their family was/is a great success in America.

We send our heartfelt sympathies n condolences. Dave rest in peace with our Lord in Heaven.

We pray to God to grant his family great health, peace, happiness, n satisfaction in meeting life’s future challenges. God protect them and keep them safe for always.”