Naehi Wong, beloved wife and devoted teacher, was born in Korea. Naehi arrived in Los Angeles at the age of 7 with her family and attended Monte Vista Elementary School in Highland Park, CA. She subsequently attended Luther Burbank JR High  and Franklin High School. At Cal State LA, Naehi majored in child development, marking the beginning of the path that would lead her to a lifetime career dedicated to teaching and subsequently earning her Master’s Degree in School Administration.

Naehi was a selfless and devoted teacher. She first taught Kindergarten at Mountain Avenue Elementary in La Crescenta, CA. She taught at other schools and took a break from the classroom to develop a highly successful Korean Dual Language Immersion program for the Glendale Unified School District, giving all students in the community the opportunity to inclusively learn Korean heritage and language. The program she developed is a model of diversity and multicultural inclusion. This would later become the model for other dual language instruction programs such as Armenian, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, among others.

In 2018, after seeing the inaugural cohort of the Korean dual language immersion through K-10th grade, Naehi’s love for teaching and her dedication to her students drew her back to the classroom. She taught second and third grade until 2022 at Mark Keppel Elementary in Glendale, CA.

Naehi met Will in Chicago in 1984 when her youth group came to the Windy City to perform in a church community outreach concert. Naehi and Will were first pen pals before embarking on a long-distance relationship consisting of communicating via snail mail and long-distance phone calls. Will finally relocated to Los Angeles and he and Naehi married in 1993.

Will and Naehi eventually made La Crescenta, CA their home. When Will returned to school to earn a master's degree and a doctoral degree in social work while continuing to work full time as a clinical social worker, Naehi was Will’s rock. She supported and encouraged Will through his coursework and endless hours of dissertating. Naehi and Will celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on July 31, 2022.

On the evening of Tuesday, November 8th, 2022, Naehi transitioned into heavenly light with Will by her side following a courageous battle with cancer. Naehi is also survived by her sisters, Grace and Nancy, and her brother, Patrick. 

Link to memorial video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch…

Link to recording of funeral: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch…

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