Max Ying Kon Lau's Obituary
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我們懷著悲傷不捨的心情知會各位親友：我們摯愛的父親劉應江已於2024年4月19日早上撒手麈圜，享年92歲。遺下妻子劉蕭寶雲及其兒女偉雄，婉儀和婉玲；還有女婿李鈞宇，外孫（浩恩）和浩德。
父親是一位鶼鰈情深的丈夫，愛護家庭的爸爸，行事為人正直無私且滿有愛心，我們將永遠懷念他。
我們誠意邀請你來參與慶祝回顧我們父親的一生, 追思會謹定於2024年5月4日（星期六）在百齡園 SkyLawn Memorial Park Pacific Chapel禮堂舉行
地址 ：CA-35 at Highway 92, San Mateo
弔唁 : 12:00 - 12:30pm
安息禮 : 12:30 - 1:30pm
葬禮 : 2:00pm 於Skylawn Memorial Park Garden of Faith
安葬禮後下午約三點我們在附近的餐廳敬備薄酌款待親友。
理解到部分親友可能在海外或因故而未能親身參與 , 我們將會寄上一個電腦連結讓欲參與者可在網上觀看追思會及安葬禮的過程（直播）。請告知你是否能到場觀禮，特別是讓我們預知你是否能到餐廳以便核實人數好通知店家。
我們衷心感謝所有在這個艱難時刻表達支持和慰問的親朋好友，你們的關愛和祈禱給予了我們無限慰藉。
In profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved Father, Max Lau, on Friday April 19, 2024, at the age of 92. He left behind his wife, Pearl, along with their children Gary, Louise and Margaret; also son-in-law Mark, grandsons (Tim) and Nicholas. Our Father was a loving and responsible family man, with utmost honesty and integrity towards his family and extended family, and a gentle soul with kindness. We will forever miss him.
Our Father’s funeral will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at SkyLawn Memorial Park Pacific Chapel
Address: CA-35 at Highway 92, San Mateo
Visitation : 12:00 - 12:30pm
Memorial service : 12:30 - 1:30pm
Burial ceremony : 2:00pm at Skylawn Memorial Park Garden of Faith
After burial ceremony, we invite you to join us for a repast at a restaurant nearby at approximately 3pm.
We would love to have you join us to celebrate his life, but we also understand if you may not be able to. A zoom link will be available for those who wish to attend but cannot do so in person. Please let us know if you plan to attend, and we especially need to know if you will be able to come to the repast so we may get a headcount for the restaurant.
Eulogy for … Max Ying Kon Lau
生平簡述 ... 劉應江先生
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劉應江先生於1931年9月15日出生在南非鄰近島嶼國塞舌爾。他在十兄弟姊妹中排第二。十多歲的時候，跟隨父母離開塞舌爾前往香港定居，就讀於喇沙男子中學。中學畢業後，進入香港大學就讀，並在新加坡大學完成醫學學士課程。
畢業後，開始與兩個堂兄弟合作管理家族的進出口業務禮和行。在超過兩載與堂兄弟的苦心經營下，禮和行從一家只有一張辦公木桌的小鋪成為一個有結構的小商業，養活了三個超過十五人的家庭和多名員工，於日本、歐美、當然還有塞舌爾，都有合作夥伴或客戶。然而他在那些年最大的成就還是結識了太太並組織了家庭和扶育三個孩子。
於1984年，加入了家族的分支業務金福泳衣廠，與三個弟弟進行改革及擴張。業務發展良好，但鑒於那時社會有不明朗因素，他和家人決定申請移民美國，為孩子尋找新的教育和發展機會。因此，於1995年解散了家族生意後，退休離開香港與已在美國定居數年的妻子和孩子團聚，長居三藩市。
劉先生是一個言辭務實、性格溫和的人。他誠實可靠並過着知足的生活。像大多數父母一樣對孩子抱有期望，但從未強迫他們完成自己未能實現的夢想。領導家人過儉樸的生活，但總是充足的供應他們，使他們從不至感覺缺乏。可以的時候，就會在特別的日子帶家人享受一下，以致孩子的腦海中還留着某些年的聖誕大餐的景象，和餐廳送給每個小朋友的聖誕禮物包的美好回憶。他對感情的表達很低調微妙，很多時候總是和食物有關的。他把香港地道的港式西餐介紹了給家人，並成為孩子們的摯愛餐飲。太太的姪女和姪子從中國初到步時，他也藉着港式西餐帶他們融入港式文化。當他的父母於80年代中期離世後，他還不時眷顧着她爸爸的第二任太太，帶點心和食物與她分享，因她沒有自己的兒女。平常放假週末，他會帶着家人悠閒遠足或公園沙灘休憇，間中會和朋友鄰居聚會時打幾局衛生麻雀。他重視教育，並盡可能送孩子進入可負擔的最好學校。無論多忙，他都會帶着孩子去買新校服、新鞋，為新學年做準備。他小時候學過一點點普通話，但除了廣東話之外，他還可說流利的塞舌爾里奧爾地區語言，法文和英文。
劉先生是一個獨特的人，認識他的人將永遠記得他是一個配受尊敬、誠實、聰明、善良有愛心和照顧家庭的人。我們將非常懷念他，盼有一天會在天家和他重聚。
Max Ying Kon Lau was born on September 15, 1931 in Seychelles near South Africa. He was the second oldest of ten children. In his mid-teens, he followed his parents and left Seychelles for Hong Kong, where he attended LaSalle College, a boys’ secondary school. After secondary school, he began university education at The University of Hong Kong and finished his university study in Singapore with a degree in medicine.
Upon completion of his education, Max began managing Lai Wo Hong, the family’s import and export business, in collaboration with his two cousins. During his two-and-a-half decades of devotion to the enterprise, Lai Wo Hong grew from a mom-and-pop shop of one wooden work desk into a structured company that fed three extended families of over fifteen people and multiple employees, with business partners/customers in Japan, Europe, North America and, of course, Seychelles. Yet, his biggest accomplishment during that era was having met his wife to form a family and raising three children.
In 1984, Max joined Comfort Swimwear Manufacturing to support the expansion of the other arm of the family business in the garment industry with his three brothers. The business was on good footing but during a period of uncertainty in the home city, he and the family decided to apply for immigration to the U.S. in search for new education opportunities for his children. Hence, the brothers dissolved the family business in 1995 when Max retired and left Hong Kong for San Francisco to unite with his wife and children who had already settled in the States for several years. Max had then lived in San Francisco ever since.
Max was a man of few words and a gentle soul. He possessed utmost integrity and lived his life contentedly. He had expectations of his children like most parents do, but never forced upon them to finish his unfulfilled dreams. He led his family in living frugally, but always provided for them such that they would never be in need. He indulged with the family on special occasions when he could so that his children still have fond memories of having Christmas dinner at restaurants that gave each child a goodie box. Max’s affection towards his loved ones was subtle but a lot of times was around food. He introduced to his family the Hong Kong style American cafe, which became his children’s favorite, and would also bring along his wife’s niece and nephew when they first came from China to ease their culture shock. After his parents passed away in the early 1980s, he would often visit and bring food to his father’s second wife who had no children of her own. Max would take his family to leisurely hikes, parks and beaches on weekends, and enjoyed a few rounds of mah-jong occasionally with his friends and neighbors during get-togethers. Max valued education and put his children in the best affordable schools he could. No matter how busy he was, he would take his children to get new school uniforms and shoes to prepare for the new school year. He learned a little Mandarin as a child, but was most proficient in native Seychellois Creole, French and English, besides Cantonese.
Max was a special person and will always be remembered as a respectable, honest, intelligent, kind and loving family man. We will miss him greatly and hope we will one day reunite with him in the heavenly home.
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