February 6, 1930 – January 3, 2013
A resident of Albany for most of his adult life, Wentworth was the beloved husband of Pearl Wong, father of Wendy (Greg) Larimore, Laurie (Robert) Rojas, Craig (Tina) Wong, Kevin (Aly) Wong, and loving grandfather to Michael, Nicholas, Jeremy, Kiana, Jacob, Kirby, Charisse, and Keenan. He is also survived by his sister Gloria Leong of Alameda, along with many nephews and nieces, as well as grand-nephews and grand-nieces.
Wentworth was born in Oakland, the youngest of five children born to Arthur and Helen Wong. After graduating from Oakland Technical High School and managing a family neighborhood grocery store, he was inducted into the Army and served his duty in Pusan, Korea for two years. Upon discharge in l953, he married Pearl and then attended Art Center School of Design in Pasadena, CA, where he completed his degree in interior design. He won some design awards and became a lifetime member of the American Society of Interior Design (ASID).
Following graduation from Art Center, Wentworth and Pearl moved back to the Bay Area and settled in Albany to begin raising a family. During his professional career, he worked for Bay Area architectural firms and even started his own design business at Albany Square, doing retail and industrial space planning. He then worked nearly a decade for Bechtel Power Corporation, working on projects that took him on assignments in Saudi Arabia, Great Britain, Germany, and Canada, among other places.
In addition to participating in traditional family gatherings and his children's school and extra-curricular activities, Wentworth took his family on many outings around the Bay Area and throughout California. This included memorable camping trips, weekend excursions to regional parks, snow adventures, and theme park visits. On his own time, he was an avid golfer and bowler with local fellow enthusiasts.
Yosemite Valley was a favorite destination, reflecting Wentworth's aesthetic appreciation of creation as well his appreciation for the creature comforts of a well-equipped National Park. Wentworth and Pearl's post-work life continued to reflect this aesthetic, as together they trekked the globe on wonderful cruises to New Zealand, China, South America, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, and Alaska, among other destinations.
In the final chapter of his life, afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease, Wentworth was surrounded by many, providing a picture of God's abiding love. On the evening of January 3, 2013, at the Felymar Elderly Care Home in San Pablo where he had received loving care for over a year, Wentworth passed peacefully into the heavenly embrace of God.
Friends and family are invited to a memorial service on Monday, January 14, 2013 at 11 a.m. in the Tower Chapel at Mountain View Cemetery, 5000 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Azheimer's Association (alz.org) or the Family Caregiver Alliance (caregiver.org).
