David Lawrence OH 1963-1967
Wednesday 14 December 2022
David Lawrence eulogy read by his brother Michael Lawrence OH 1965-1968 at St John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong on 9th January 2023.David John Lawrence was born on the 17th of May 1949 in Kota Bharu in what was then The British colony of Malaya. Our father was a colonial police officer who first came to Malaya with the Indian Army after the surrender of the Japanese at the end of WWII. Our family, including ourparents, David, my sister Sarah and I remained living there until soon after independence in 1957 when we returned to settle in the U.K. in Camberley, Surrey, where our parents remained until their deaths in the 1990’s.David went to the local prep school, Hallgrove, and then onto being a boarder at Hereford Cathedral School at age 13 where he became head of his house and captain of the 1st XV rugby team. Already from an early age, David demonstrated his natural sympathy for the "underdog" and a propensity for "looking after" people he cared about and this continued for the rest of his life. At school David physically confronted a bully who plagued the younger boys, which ended this boy's bullying days At the time that David was going away to boarding school, I was struggling at prep school, so for every day he was away he wrote in my little Letts diary the extra homework I should do – I did what I was told, subsequently passing the exam to David\s delight.David read law at University College London where he also played rugby for the university side. After graduating, David trained as a solicitor with the London city firm of Coward Chance and thereafter joined a small Fleet Street law firm. In 1976, on the back of an ended romance and encouraged by our father with very fond memories of his colonial times in Malaysia, David decided to take up a position with Deacons in Hong Kong, where he remained for almost 45 years--first as an assistant, then partner and finally a consultant. In his last years David was a consultant with Haldanes law firm.He loved and enjoyed the law and was tremendously proud of being a lawyer and was somewhat a workaholic. It was largely how he defined himself. He was a very good, respected and distinguished lawyer of impeccable integrity. David persuaded and mentored many in the next generation to practice law, including his nephew and my son Robin and many of his trainees have gone on to have very successful careers in law.When David first went to HK his intention was to stay for a few years, but he fell in love with HK and he loved it and his friends there to his dying day. In his free time, David continued to support society’s underdogs via various charities (such as support for distressed domestic workers in Hong Kong) as well as individuals who had fallen on hard times, both monetarily and via his pro-bono legal assistance. Being extremely sociable, David belonged to many sporting and social clubs, but his “home away from home” was the FCC (Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondent’s Club). He liked nothing better that to try to put the world to rights over a glass (or two) of red wine.After several decades of freewheeling bachelorhood in Hong Kong, David met and later married Sakhon Mansing on his 60th birthday. David and Sa spent time and travelled together across the world --be it playing golf, going on holiday or to visit family or friends from both their sides. David loved Sa deeply and was much comforted by her presence and devotion to him during his last days in hospital.Despite the many decades that David lived and worked in Hong Kong, our family luckily and happily was able to spend much (quality) time together over the years, during family visits in the UK, Hong Kong, Europe and the US as well as during various wonderful extended family holidays together. Now that David is gone, we are doubly grateful for these cherished memories.As family meant so much to David, David meant everything to his family. The suddenness of his illness and departure has been totally shocking to Sa, Sarah, myself and our spouses and families in the UK, Thailand and US and we are all still reeling with grief and trying to process it all. His eldest great niece, Persie, who just turned 9 cried on being told of David's death, cried when she saw me and cried on Christmas Day - she cried for all of us. There will be a permanent David shaped hole in the family he so cherished and supported. Although David never had children of his own, he enjoyed watching the children of his extended family grow up and developed close relationships with them, taking interest in their activities and careers and often mentoring them and putting them up in his Hong Kong flat when they came to visit.David also cherished his many friends, who were fundamental to him and sustained him. He was not a materialistic man, but a very modest one who appeared to take great pleasure in spending his hard-earned money on creating memories with his family and friends or helping them, rather than spending it on himself.My oldest son Mark and I, and then Sarah and my youngest son Robin feel grateful that we were able to travel to HK and see David before he passed. Sa and we didn’t know then how quickly he would be taken from us by this rare and aggressive form of cancer in the lining of his lungs: Signet Cell Carcinoma. At this time I would like to thank everyone who supported David, Sa and us through his last difficult weeks—from all of the medical staff at the Adventist Hospital, to his colleagues, ex legal trainees and friends who came to see him and comfort him. My brother-in-law noted that for a man who claimed he had few friends, Sarah said there almost needed to be a turnstile to accommodate the stream of visitors wanting to see David at the hospital in his final days on this earth. (p.s.,- over 300 people attended David’s funeral at St John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong on 9.1.23, indicating how loved and respected he was)We were inundated with messages of concern and good wishes from cousins, extended family and friends from around the globe. This all points to a much respected, valued and loved man. "Like our dad, he always thought the best of people until proved otherwise" . "He could be sceptical, but was never cynical". "David was a kind, sweet and generous man who made a positive impact on everyone he met" (Michael)Sarah told me: “He was our wonderful eccentric big brother, always encouraging me to do the right thing and where possible, to consider both sides.What did others think of David and what sort of person was he? I can do no better than to quote from some of the many messages of condolence we have received since his passing."He could be irritating but he made me smile, he was a character (which is) becoming increasingly rare these days""-He had such a kind expression and such an infectious, sweet smile ""- a wonderful man with a magnetic personality who lit up every room I saw him enter. I felt lucky to have spent time with him over the years""-What an amazing charismatic and hilariously cheeky man""-The most self-deprecating person I ever met".'-The most interesting and INTERESTED person you could ever wish to meet ..he really was one in a million someone who will never be forgotten""- for someone who didn't have children of his own, I felt he was a very "fatherly" person to many"-a lovely, quirky determined man who would appear to have had a wonderful life"-“he was eccentric, independent, generous and kind hearted”-“he returned affection with unbridled affection, to which he added an engaging boyish enthusiasm”"-a charming, gentle man with an amusing dry sense of humour, always a pleasure to be in his company"-“he bore his ailments with fortitude and bravery”-“he was caring, engaging, had firm views and never failed to want to know how we all were”"-Such a fine gentleman, an interesting character with many great stories""-A Kind, loving and beautiful man"‘`’Quite simply, I liked him”David was our brother who always had our backs – Sarah and I feel lost without him, as I know does Sa. We feel diminished - I hope one day our memories of this wonderful human being, generous of spirit as well of gold, will make us feel less so.