首先感謝天主的慈悲，家父並沒有遭受疾病的折磨，當他的生命力日夕衰退到某一點，他便在睡夢中安祥離世，返回天父的懷抱，並沒有帶給我們任何不便。
感激各位今晚出席家父的守靈祈禱，給予我們莫大的安慰。
多謝邵偉亮執事主持家父的葬禮，給予同邨弟兄的支持。
感謝舍弟提早退休，照顧兩老，讓他們安享晚年。惟是最近幾年，因健康欠佳，纔由本人接力。正如內子所說，這幾年能事奉兩老，是我們的福氣。所謂「虎父無犬子」，我們重拾在我們身上，家父的影子，並且欣賞到生命在不同階段的優美，這確是我們一家人的福氣。
婚後不久，正值解放，家父與同村兄弟一起跑到香港踫運氣。他加入船公司做了三年輪船服務生，算得上是闖蕩過江湖，放眼過世界了。這幾年船上的生活，迫使他自學英文，亦為他未來的工作，創造了條件。三年後，接了家母來港，在灣仔定居，開始了人生新的一頁。不久，我兄弟倆亦陸續出生了。
家父一生祗服侍過兩位老闆。當時他在集郵社任售貨員。家父勤奮好學，獲得老闆的欣賞。當年在灣仔生活，是前鋪後居的。老闆一家住樓上，我們住地鋪側。接觸機會多了，不免引起磨擦。當年若不是家母受不了老闆娘的氣焰，家父或許亦不會跳槽往另一所郵票社，並且離開灣仔，搬往油蔴地。就這樣，他祗服侍過兩個老闆。不過，家父是一個很念舊的人，往後的日子，他仍會探望舊老闆，直到他去世。舊老闆去世後，亦會拜望舊老闆娘，當然不會與家母同去了。他這份忠心和念舊的情操，我兄弟倆全都繼承了。
剛搬到油蔴地生活的日子是艱苦的。起初，家父每天工作十二小時，由早上十時到晚上十時。在這幾年，他回家時我們兩兄弟已熟睡了，早上我們上學的時候，他尚未起床。在我們細小的心靈上，不知不覺地留下了缺乏父親形像的遺憾，亦做就了我們將來獨立自學，四出尋找令我們敬佩的人，來填補這份空虛。後來申請公共房屋，獲分配到彩虹邨，工作時間亦縮短了。生活開始改善了，我兄弟倆得以完成學業，有穩定工作和收入。到家父退休時，雖然祗得到幾萬元的長期服務金，生活亦樂也融融。
就這樣三十多年的售貨員生涯，養大了我兄弟倆。家父雖然沒有接受過正式的教育，又不是老闆，但憑他孜孜不倦的自學，在集郵界中亦薄具江湖地位。甚至退休後，且有行家相邀，參加每年的郵票展覽或就集郵上的一些疑問，徵詢他的意見。西諺有云：「集郵是王者的嗜好，嗜好中的王者。」相信老一輩的神父修士之中，不乏家父的常客。以我所接觸過的，就有已故喇沙書院的安東尼修士。讚美天主，他老人家亦是壽終正寢。今次家父辭世，在天上不愁寂寞了！感謝我的喇沙書院舊生，他也是集郵的。從他口中，得悉家父亦很親切地接待這些沒有多大生意額的小伙子。這是肯定的，因為這是我在郵票社做暑期工時親眼所見。做暑期工固然增廣見識，亦使我領會到幸福是要爭取的！自從中四開始，我一直半工讀，為自己交學費！感謝父親大人的啟發。
可能是工作的關係，日間已經說話不少，所以晚上回家後，他比較寡言。一切都是身教。他非常虔誠，每天出門上班時會上香，每晚回家晚飯前上香，必是他親力親為。他的虔誠感染了我。他有一大本電話簿，記載了親戚，舊街坊和他朋友的電話，與他們保持聯絡。家父關顧家鄉的親戚朋友，無論在香港生活如何艱難，亦會匯款回鄉幫助。重建破舊了的祖屋，相信是他畢生的宏願。這一兩年，他比較寂寞，打出電話的次數減少了。很多朋友已先他去了。父親大人，您這份對親友的關顧，我們是會繼承的。
多謝大家！天主保祐！
A Brief Memoir of My Father
First of all, I thank God for His mercy. My father did not suffer from chronic sickness. When his vitality waned daily to a certain level, he passed away in his sleep, returning to the bosom of our heavenly Father. He did not cause us any inconvenience.
I sincerely thank you all for attending this Vigil Prayer for my father. There is no greater consolation than this.
I thank Deacon Paul Siu for officiating at my father’s funeral, giving support to his Choi Hung buddy.
I thank my younger brother who retired early to take care of our ageing parents so that they might lead a peaceful life. In the past few years, his health declines and I take up the baton. Just as what my wife shared with me, it has been a blessing for my family to be able to take care of them. "Like father like son". We are able to pick up again character traits of my father in us and admire the beauty of a different stage of life.
My father was born in Xiaolan, Zhongshan of the Guangtung Province. He planted morus trees to feed silk worms next to a fish pond. When I visited the ancestral village as a young child, the most impressive memory was the toilet shack built over the fish pond. It was entertaining to see grass craps fighting for faeces below. My grandfather died young, leaving my grandmother to rear two boys alone. Beside the ancestral house was a pig pen where they used to keep a pig of about 3 piculs. In the eyes of a young child, what a lazy, stinky monster! In order to guarantee the healthy growth of the two sons, my grandmother called them "Piggie I" and "Piggie II". Although he was called as such, my father was no lazy, stinky monster but an honest hardworking young gentleman. Given that I seldom return to mainland China and have no chance to hear anything interesting from those relatives, how can I be so sure about that? Well, as far as I know, my maternal grandfather was a merchant operating a teahouse in Xiaolan. He must have seen many people. Had my father not been an honest hardworking gentleman, how would he have won the hearts of my mother, the Headmistress of the Lee family and my maternal grandfather?
Soon after marriage, it was the Liberation. My father and some village fellows travelled to Hong Kong to try their luck. My father joined a shipping company, working as a cabin boy for three years. He had travelled and seen the world! Life on an oceangoing ship forced my father to learn English by himself. This facilitated his work in the future. Three years later, my mother came to join him. They settled in Wanchai to start a new page in life. Soon, my younger brother and I were born.
Throughout his life, my father had served only two bosses. He worked as a keeper in a philately shop. The boss liked him because of his diligence and love of learning. In those Wanchai years, we lived where my father worked. The boss’s family lived upstairs whereas we and the shop downstairs. More contacts led to more conflicts. Had my mother been able to tolerate the vanity of the boss’s wife, my father would not have joined another shop. We left Wanchai and moved to Yaumati. In this way, my father had served only two bosses. But my father was very loyal. In the years ahead, he still visited his ex-boss until his demise. After that, my father also paid visit to the wife of his ex-boss, of course not with my mother. My young brother and I have inherited his loyalty and enduring friendliness.
Life was difficult in the early Yaumati years. At first, my father worked 12 hours a day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. In these years, when he returned home, my brother and I had slept. When we went to school in the morning, he was still in bed. A lack of father figure had created a void in our fragile souls, thus pushing us to learn independently and to seek everywhere for somebody worth respecting. Later, we were allotted a flat in Choi Hung Estate. His working hours had shortened. Life was improving and my brother and I were able to finish our study and got a stable job and steady pay. Although my father had received only about half a hundred thousand dollars for his long service payment at his retirement, life was happy.
Working as a shopkeeper for more than three decades, my father raised us up. Although he did not attend any formal schooling and was not the owner of any shop, with his diligence of learning, he was able to command respect in the field. Even after retirement, he was invited to join the annual Philately Exhibition or consulted on thorny issues in philately. As the saying goes "Philately is the hobby of kings and king of hobbies", I believe many older priests and religious brothers must have once been my father’s clients. As far as I know, Brother Anthony of La Salle College was one. Praise be to God. Brother Anthony also passed away in his sleep. My father shall find company in heaven! I also thank one of my old students who also collected stamps. From him, I learnt that my father was hospitable to these young kids who were no big spenders. This I can affirm from my own witness working as a summer job apprentice in the philately shop. Not only did doing summer job broaden my worldview, but it also dawned to me that happiness had to be earned. Since S.4, I paid my school fees with part-time jobs. Thank you, Dad for the inspiration.
Perhaps he had spoken too much during the day in the shop, when my father returned home, he did not speak much. He taught with examples. My father was a pious person. Every morning before leaving for work, he offered incense. Every evening before dinner, it was him again to offer incense. His piety influenced me. He used to keep a thick telephone directory of relatives, friends and neighbours to keep in touch. He was generous in helping relatives and friends back in mainland China no matter how hard life was here in Hong Kong. Rebuilding the torn and worn ancestral house must have been his greatest ambition.
In the past two years, he became lonelier. His outward calls became less. Many of his friends had passed away before him. Dear Dad, we shall definitely inherit your love and care for relatives and friends.
Thank you. God bless!
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