Melvyn Chong Kong

Melvyn Chong Kong June 27, 1951- December 14, 2025 With deep sadness we share with you the passing of Melvyn Kong on December 14, 2025. Born on June 27th, 1951, in Honolulu HI to parents Henry and Martha Kong, Mel was four years old when Henry moved the family Los Angeles, CA. Within a few years, Henry moved the family to Glendale, and then Fullerton, CA. Mel graduated from Troy High School in Fullerton in 1967 and went on to Occidental College where he graduated with a degree in Chemistry in 1973. Mel began his career in Criminalistics at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department where he met Yolanda (Yoli) Carbajal, whom he married in 1976. Mel spent 7 ½ years at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and then transferred to the LA County Sheriff’s Department where he worked on the high-profile case of the Night Stalker. Mel then took a position with the Santa Ana police department for two years. His final posting at the San Diego Police Department lasted 22 years. Throughout his 38-year career in forensic science, Mel worked in drug analysis, trace evidence, gunshot residue, and crime scene investigations where he investigated blood splatter and officer involved shootings. Mel’s integrity and dedication as a criminalist resulted in praise and trust from his superiors and great personal satisfaction with his career. At the age of 59 Mel retired from the San Diego Police Department in March 2011. After retiring Mel loved to tend to his fruit trees and exotic plants in his large hillside garden. Mel and Yoli made yearly trips to various islands in Hawaii. For them it was a second home. At 63 Mel began training in the discipline of karate. He joined the Eastlake Dojo with Sensei Edward Teeple. Mel was dedicated and committed to Okinawa Ryuei Ryu Karate and Kobudo. During COVID Mel created a dojo in his garage to keep up his practice. In 2020, Mel earned his black belt “Shodan,” which is difficult in itself, but Mel completed the test made more difficult by wearing a face mask. Mel worked on his katas every day. Mel lived a life defined by discipline, precision, and quiet dedication. He was a man who took pride in doing things carefully and well — whether in his work as a criminalist, his study of karate, or the way he tended his garden and cared for his family. Though a man of few words, Mel expressed love through action: by cooking, fixing, providing, and showing up. He valued integrity, responsibility, and commitment, and he pursued mastery not for recognition, but for its own sake. Those who knew him best will remember his steadiness, his curiosity, and the depth beneath his reserved exterior. Mel leaves behind his beloved wife Yoli, his daughter Mari, his son Mike, his granddaughter Maleia and her mother Lauren. Contact the family for information about a future memorial. If you wish to make a donation in Mel’s name, consider a donation to Highlander: The movement school or the California Association of Criminalists.

Melvyn Chong Kong

June 27, 1951 - December 14, 2025