When I received the news of Ho Chee Seong's passing on 5 July 2025, a flood of memories came rushing back. I first came to know Chee Seong in the 1980s, during my involvement with the School Management Board of SM Lok Yuk, SRK Lok Yuk, and SRK (C) Lok Yuk. I was then in my thirties, and he was in his forties, serving as the principal of SRK (C) Lok Yuk.
Despite our professional responsibilities, we found a common ground - table tennis. Before I eventually switched to playing badminton, we would often gather to play table tennis together, joined by another teacher, the late Lu Kah Hin. Our games took place in a simple old wooden store erected on a plot beside Jalan Penampang, not far from where the current Merdeka Supermarket now stands.
The wooden store was generously offered by its owner for use by BCCM Kota Kinabalu (BCCM KK), and it held special significance - it served as the initial premises for BCCM Penampang’s regular Sunday worship services. In time, BCCM Penampang acquired a nearby plot of land and built a proper church building, which stands today as the current church premises.
Sadly, Chee Seong and I had not seen each other since the days we stopped playing table tennis. Life took us on different paths, and time slipped quietly by. It was only at the funeral parlour on 6 July 2025, where I came to pay my final respects to the late Chee Seong, that I learned more about his later years. His son, William, shared with me that Chee Seong had been living alone since the passing of his wife in 2016 - nine long years of solitude. He passed away at a remarkable age of 90.
Chee Seong’s quiet strength, dedication to education, and his appreciation for life’s simple pleasures - like a friendly game of table tennis - left a deep and lasting impression on me. His passing is a poignant reminder of the many unsung heroes who devoted their lives to shaping our schools, churches, and communities - not through grand gestures, but through quiet service, steady presence, and enduring commitment.
.jpeg)
