Losing a family member is never easy to deal with, much less when you’re a public figure. There’s always going to be an element of vulnerability.
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong shared on Facebook on Monday (16 Aug) that his father had passed away today, on his 86th birthday.
Unfortunately, this was not to be a happy occasion.
In a tribute to his dad, Mr Wong told about how he was the one who encouraged young Lawrence to pick up the guitar, and of his passion for the English language.
Mr Wong shared the sad news on Facebook, and also penned a tribute to him.
Mr Wong’s father had arrived from Hainan in Ipoh in the 1940s to join his father, also Mr Wong’s grandfather, working as a chef on the Malayan railways.
His passion was in English language and literature, which spread to Mr Wong since the family was surrounded by books and “never-ending quotes from Shakespeare”.
In an amusing anecdote, Mr Wong said his father would apparently correct company executives on their grammar in annual reports.
One of Mr Wong’s well-known talents is that he’s a guitar player, having performed numerous times in the past.
It turns out that it was Mr Wong’s dad who introduced him to the guitar at a young age.
His influence also spread to those he met, Mr Wong noting that he was “larger than life” in several ways.
Public service was another area that Mr Wong was inspired to pursue by his father.
If it weren’t for him, we may not be seeing Mr Wong serving as the Finance Minister today.
Although Mr Wong and family are sad to see him go, he said that they continue to find peace and comfort in their memories of him.
They’re also comforted that Mr Wong’s father has “fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith”.
He ended the post by saying that he will be sorely missed.
Losing family is never easy, especially if they’d lived a long life.
However, there is much to celebrate as well, as can be seen by Mr Wong’s post.
Mr Wong’s father must surely have left a mark on those he met and they can be happy that he will be remembered even after he’s passed on.
MS News offer our condolences to Mr Wong’s family and may Mr Wong’s dad rest in peace.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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