Alicia Loui (née Wong Look Moy)
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Vital Information
- Maiden Name: Wong Look Moy
- Birth Place: China
- Immigration: Emigrated from China to Hawaii after World War I
- Spouse: Heong Poo Loui
- Children: Fred Loui (older son), Wallace Loui, two daughters
Immigration and Family
Emigration to Hawaii
Alicia emigrated from China to Hawaii after World War I (post-1918). She settled in Honolulu where her husband Heong Poo Loui operated a hardware store in Chinatown.
Return to China (1933-1934)
The family traveled to China in 1933-1934 with their children, including young Wallace. This trip proved fateful:
- The family visited China together
- Husband Heong Poo Loui remained in China after 1934
- Alicia returned to Hawaii with the children
- Heong Poo died in China, never returning to Hawaii
Life After Separation
After her husband remained in China in 1934, Alicia raised the children in Hawaii:
- Older son Fred Loui
- Wallace Loui (born 1924)
- Two daughters who later lived in California
Children
Fred Loui
Older son, older brother to Wallace
Dr. Wallace Wah Sing Loui
- Born 1924 in Hawaii
- Became board-certified thoracic surgeon
- Father of five sons: Michael, Warren, William, Ronald, and Terrence
- Died January 14, 2017
Two Daughters
Lived in California (names and details needed)
Grandchildren
Through Wallace:
- Michael Loui
- Warren Loui - Attorney, winemaker, USC professor
- William Loui
- Ronald Loui - Computer scientist, professor
- Terrence Loui (deceased)
Historical Context
Chinese Immigration to Hawaii
Alicia was part of the wave of Chinese immigration to Hawaii in the early 20th century. Chinese immigrants often:
- Operated small businesses in Chinatown
- Maintained connections to ancestral villages in China
- Faced difficult choices during upheavals in China (wars, revolution)
The 1933-1934 China Trip
The family’s trip to China in 1933-1934 coincided with:
- Rising Japanese aggression in China
- Chinese Civil War instability
- Difficult economic conditions
Heong Poo’s decision to remain in China in 1934 left Alicia to raise four children alone in Hawaii. He never returned and died in China.
Timeline
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Sources
Notes
Alicia Loui’s story reflects the complex experiences of Chinese immigrant women in early 20th century Hawaii:
- Emigrated after WWI to join husband
- Raised family in Honolulu’s Chinatown
- Lost husband when he remained in China in 1934
- Raised four children as single mother
- Sons achieved professional success (Wallace became surgeon)
Her emigration “after World War I” suggests she arrived in Hawaii sometime between 1918 and the early 1920s, likely shortly before Wallace’s birth in 1924.
Research Needed
- Exact birth date and place in China
- Death date and place
- Marriage date to Heong Poo Loui
- Exact year of emigration to Hawaii
- Names of two daughters
- Wong Look Moy family background in China
- Which province/village in China she came from
- How she met Heong Poo Loui
- Life in Hawaii after 1934 separation
- When she learned of husband’s death in China
- How she supported four children alone
- Whether she ever remarried
- Relationship with grandchildren
- Community involvement in Hawaii