Donna Get Szeto

Donna Szeto was born in the small village of Dak-Coeng (德祥里), city of Wu-Long (五龍市), county of Kai-Ping (開平), state of Guangdong (廣東), China on November 18, 1939. She grew up in the tumultuous backdrop of World War II. Starting grade school at age 10 in the nearby village of LouYang (蘆陽), she later went to Kai-Ping Middle School (開平六中). After middle school, she attended Feng-Cai High School (風彩中學).

She was married to Demond Szeto August 17, 1958. After marriage, Demond went to Beijing for work while she stayed in Kai-Ping and took a year off from school. She went back to school a year later to finish her education and graduated in 1961 from Feng-Cai High School (風彩中學). After graduation, she found work as a grade school teacher in a faraway small village in the county of Xin-Hui (新會), Guangdong in 1962. She raised her first two children there. She devoted herself to not only raising her own children, she was dedicated to educating all the kids in the village. She was later transferred to another school in the city of Mu-Zhou (睦州), Xin-Hui (新會), which was closer to her husband. By that time, Demond had moved back from Beijing to Mu-Zhou, where they had their third child. She continued to teach there until the family immigrated to the US via Hong Kong.

Donna was 40 years old when she came to America. Speaking no English, she worked as a seamstress. She worked long hours and the pay was little. When there were job openings in the cannery plants (such as Pacific Coast Producers) sorting fruits and tomatoes, she rushed to apply. The pay was better, but the job was seasonal. In the off-season, she resumed sewing clothes day and night. She tried very hard to learn English by going to an English adult school, and eventually passed the US citizenship test. Later, she sponsored her mother and brother to come to the US. Her mother immigrated to the US in 1988. She continued to work alternately as a seamstress and at the canneries. Slowly she transitioned to taking care of the family and later became a dutiful care-giver for her husband and her mother.

Donna passed away on August 16, 2025 with her family by her side after suffering from a stroke. She had a long and fruitful life and will be greatly missed by her three children and their loving families: Wayne and Nancy Szeto and children Jeremy Szeto and Aiden Szeto; Gene Szeto; Don Szeto and Corrina Yang and children Brandon Szeto and Logan Szeto.