Citizenship after he was discharged from the United States Army, and her mother was Ruby Chow, who served as a King County Councilwoman, the first Asian American elected to that council.

[3] Chow's maternal grandparents were Chinese immigrants who had come to the United States to work on the railroad lines.

[4][6] In 1985, Chow ran for the King County Council for the seat her mother was retiring from, ultimately losing the election.

[6][10] Chow stated her greatest achievements was getting the late night recreation centers and pulling together Asian gang leaders.

[6] In 1996, Chow worked as interim principal at West Seattle’s Madison Middle School while on the council, which received some criticism from community members.

[12] In the August primary, Chow came in second and advanced to the general election with political newcomer, Judy Nicastro coming in first.

[18] On March 16, 2013, less than two weeks before her death, Chow married her partner of ten years, Sarah Morningstar.