Harry Pang built line of popular Chinese frozen food

He was a World War II bomber-gunner-turned-entrepreneur and an aficionado of Cantonese cuisine.

Dogged and shy, Harry Pang, who died April 6 at the age of 83, was the quiet force behind a popular line of frozen Chinese foods that carried his wife, Mary's, name.

Mr. Pang and his gregarious wife forged a formidable Seattle business that once grossed more than $1 million annually.

"His frozen-food business really put Seattle on the map," said brother Ted Pang of Bellevue.

For nearly 40 years the couple savored a good reputation. But the Pang name and business became infamous when the Pang warehouse was destroyed in a 1995 arson that killed four Seattle firefighters. The person responsible: the Pangs' son, Martin.

The Pang family tree has its roots in Canton or Guangzhou, China. And at the beginning of the 20th century, one branch extended to tiny Dublin, Miss., where Sun Wah "Harry" Pang was born Jan. 30, 1921 to Jung and Lo Shee Pang. He was the third of six children. The parents ran a general store.

But their father didn't want China, its language or its customs to be a mystery to the children, said Mr. Pang's sister, Nellie Wong of Normandy Park. So he sent his wife and children to live in Canton for seven years.

On their way there, they stopped in Seattle, where the weather greatly appealed to their mother, Nellie Wong recalled.

The Pangs stayed in China until the Japanese invaded the country in the 1930s, then settled in Seattle. The mother opened a grocery on Queen Anne. Mr. Pang's father eventually opened the Atlas Grocery at 14th Avenue and East Yesler Way.

Son Harry eventually followed in his parents' footsteps.

Mr. Pang graduated from old Broadway High School in 1942, and when World War II broke, he joined the Army Air Corps. Staff Sgt. Pang was a machine-gunner on a B-17 with the U.S. 8th Air Force Division. Between 1942 and 1945, he flew 32 bombing missions, for which he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The war veteran returned to Seattle and briefly enrolled at the University of Washington, but his life detoured from college. By then, he already had met and fallen in love with fellow UW student Mary Mar. They married in 1945.

The couple opened Pang's Grocery Store at 14th Avenue South and South Lander Street. Eventually, they got into the frozen-food business, taking over a company started by Mary Pang's sister, Ruby Chow, the former King County councilwoman.

Mary Pang's Food Products, which operated out of a warehouse at 811 Seventh Ave. S., debuted in 1963. The couple built a loyal following. They lived on Mercer Island. They adopted two children from China: a girl, Marlyce, who now lives in California, and a boy, Martin.

Those who know the couple say Mary Pang is the lively one; he, quiet. Those who never met them know them mostly because of their son, who's serving a 35-year sentence for the January 1995 fire.

"He was heartbroken," Ted Pang said of his brother. "He was always a very proud individual, and it just really hurt him."

Mr. Pang's other survivors include brother Woody Pang of Seattle and two grandchildren. Mr. Pang was preceded in death by brother Allen Pang and sister Jeannye (Howard) Wong.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. today at Butterworth Arthur A. Wright Chapel, 520 W. Raye St. in Seattle. The family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Association or a favorite charity.

Florangela Davila: 206-464-2916 or fdavila@seattletimes.com