Identical twins Fannie and Annie Wong turned 103 this year! They were born in 1916 in Red Bluff, to a family of 14 children. As young girls, they once performed on a local radio station, playing their guitars. “The sisters were full of spunk and mischief,” says Fannie’s daughter, Valerie. They took exams for each other and switched places in classes – and never got caught.
After graduating from Red Bluff High School in the 1930s, they both moved to Sacramento. They were skilled athletes in swimming and tennis. In the 1950s and 1960s, the twins spent many hours at Iceland Rink in north Sacramento. They even attempted to try out for the Ice Capades. For over 40 years, they met for weekly lunches and shopping. Disagreements were settled by playing rock-paper-scissors. Both sisters have fond memories of traveling with their families – to Hawaii, Asia and Europe. At the age of 98, Fannie swam with stingrays with her grandchildren in Mexico! The twins even went down the same path when it came to their families. They both married men in the grocery business.
While working at Frank Fat’s as a waitress, Fannie met Gene Wong. “Gene heard about a new waitress at Frank Fat’s and went there to check her out,” Fannie says with a smile. They married at the courthouse in 1943. While Gene was proudly serving with the 407 Air Service Squadron as a member of the Flying Tigers during WWII, Fannie lived in Penryn with his parents. After the war, Gene, his sister and four brothers would go on to start the Bel Air Supermarkets. During this time, Gene and Fannie raised four children – Ginger, Valerie, Gary and Gayle. Fannie has seven grandchildren. She enrolled at Sacramento State when she was 60 and got her Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences. “We were amazed, but not really amazed,” says son Gary. Fannie has lived a full life. She has taken many classes at ACC Senior Services, including hula, calligraphy, and watercolor painting.
Annie married Kai Wong (no relation to Gene), who owned a mom and pop grocery store in North Sacramento called Sincere Market. They raised four children – Virgil, Jadine, Baldwin, and Raymond. The family also includes five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
After retiring from the market in 1981, Annie volunteered her time at the Senior Paralegal Center and at the Senior Center as a food server.
Fannie and Annie take everything in stride these days. Fannie says, “The worst part is my hearing. It’s not that good.” Longevity runs in the family. Their oldest sister lived to age 99 and another sister, Pearl Jones, is 104.
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