July 30, 2022
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AIA Central New Jersey Section Member Irving Leong, AIA, May He Rest In Peace
We are very sorry to share the news that AIA Central New Jersey Section Member Irving Leong, AIA, passed away Wednesday, July 27. While his death was unexpected, his children, Chris, Kim, and Lizzy, were there to comfort him. His family is heartbroken at this sudden loss and miss him very much already.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 4 – details below. There will be a livestream provided by the church, which we will send out once received. We understand that people may want to take caution with Covid safety protocol so please do not feel obligated to attend.
Visitation is on Thursday, August 4 from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. at the Gleason Funeral Home, 1360 Hamilton Street, Somerset.
Funeral mass will follow and begin at 11:00 A.M. at St. Matthias Church, Somerset. All services will conclude at the church.
The family will be hosting a
Repast Lunch at 12:30 pm at Omega Diner in North Brunswick. All will be welcome, and if you plan on attending please reply to
lizzyleong@gmail.com know so the family can have an approximate headcount.
Additionally, a blessing and the burial of his cremated remains will take place on Saturday, August 6 at 10:30am at Resurrection Cemetery in Piscataway.
Mr. Irving Leong passed away on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. He was 67 years old.
Mr. Leong was born in Manhattan and was raised in New York City. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and furthered his education at the City College of New York where he earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture.
After marrying his wife, Alice, in 1981, he relocated to Somerset where they would raise their family. He was employed as an Architect by Gruzen Samton, Rothe-Johnson/Fletcher Thompson, and most recently by NK Architects. After a long career in architecture specializing in healthcare and educational facilities, he retired in 2020.
Mr. Leong was a longtime parishioner of St. Matthias Church where he served the parish community as a Eucharistic Minister. He was also a devout New York Yankees Fan.
He was pre-deceased by his wife Alice in 2021.
Mr. Leong is survived by his children Christopher Leong, Elizabeth Leong and her husband Matthew Garnet, and Kimberly Leong and her husband Jason Grossman. He is also survived by his sisters, Jayne Wong and her husband Frank, Genevieve Matsumoto and her husband Glen, and Anne Leong.
Edward Rothe, FAIA shared these remarks, “Irving was a fine gentleman and a truly nice man. Professionally, he was liked and respected by everyone who knew and worked with him. He was dedicated to his profession and, more importantly, to his family. It was an honor to have known and worked with him.
He was an early and long-term employee of Rothe Johnson Architects. He was one of a number of former Gruzen & Partners architects to join the young firm. He became a key member and Associate of the firm, responsible for managing the firm’s healthcare projects. His commitment to design quality, combined with strong technical knowledge and his likable and no-nonsense personality, contributed to the firm’s success. After the firm merged with Fletcher Thompson and a change in business culture, Irving joined NK Architects.
If you would like to make a charitable donation in lieu of flowers, you may direct those towards
St. Matthias Church, our longtime parish. If you are looking for the simplest way to donate online, currently there is a
fundraiser for technology for the church that Irving would have appreciated supporting as he often utilized the virtual services.
His family thanks you for keeping them in your hearts and prayers.
By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in AIA Central New Jersey, Uncategorized | Tagged: #IrvingLeongAIA | Comments (0)
