A Life Well Lived!

Death during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown is most heart-wrenching because the immediate family members residing overseas are unable to come back and say the final good bye to the deceased. Two elderly seniors in my church passed on precisely during this season. In the first case, only the wife was there to mourn the loss.

In the case of Datuk KS Fung, his funeral service was held at the funeral parlor strictly in accordance to the social distancing guidelines. Besides a few relatives and friends, only his eldest son and daughter-in-law were able to be present because the other siblings and family members were all overseas. I and my wife were there to pay our last respect.

Datuk Fung's passing came just over 13 months after his wife died in mid March last year. Her death had obviously impacted him in that he became less talkative as his son said in his eulogy. Yet, his will to live and persistence to attend church every week had been most encouraging to many. Even during the initial lockdown period, he would not believe the cessation of Sunday church service until he was driven there by the son to see for himself the locked up church compound.

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I remember soon after I graduated from University Malaya in early 1978, I went to JKR Hqs in Sembulan to see the Director of JKR to look for a job as an engineer.  The Director then, Datuk Fung instantly asked me to report for work as soon as possible. I started work on 10 April 1978 and I was seconded to work under Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick at the site office at the KK Airport. Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick, a British consulting engineering firm was appointed to plan, design and supervise the development of the KK International Airport. That secondment proved to be a good start for my professional career. I had a good head start working with the British engineers who are known to be systematic and transparent. I had learnt to follow up with a written instruction soon after a verbal instruction on site. My ability to write in a way was developed since that time.

Datuk Fung was credited to have contributed significantly in the infrastructure development in Sabah especially under the then Berjaya State Government. In the religious and education domain, he was instrumental in the planting of many churches especially the indigenous churches of BCCM. He helped set up STS and served in the school management board of SM Lok Yuk, KK.

He was my boss for only six years. I left JKR in April 1984 and moved to the private sector. Since then, I started to be involved in Lok Yuk KK School Board and the Board of Governors of Sabah Theological Seminary (STS). We became partners serving together in the management and development of three schools within the compound of Lok Yuk School, Likas and STS. At the STS, he served as the Board Chairman while I was a Board Member cum the Consultant Engineer for the construction of key buildings built over ten years during his tenure.

By 2015, sign of his fading memory began to show. In my interview with him on 15 October 2017 for the publication of the bulletin for the 55th Anniversary of congregation of BCCM KK (English), we couldn't dwell into too much details of his past involvement with the church. Still, it was sufficient to get a glimpse of some of his thought! (Read here).

He and his wife and his second son were at our house to share breakfast just before the interview on 15 October 2017.

Datuk Fung and his wife posed with my wife
who did an interview with Datin Fung at their
residence for the occasion of Legacy day.

Taken soon after the Legacy Day Sunday
Worship Service on 5 November 2017.

Datuk Fung lived a long and fruitful life. His passing reminisces the passing of King David as recorded in 1 Chronicles 29:28, "He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honour.....".