Laurence Y. Leung

Laurence Leung was born on July 15, 1936, in the Canton province of China. He had two older brothers - Gerald and Stephen, and one younger brother, Lister. Although he was born into a well-to-do family, Laurence’s life was quickly turned upside down and filled with hardships during the Second Sino-Japanese War. His father died when he was 5 years old, and before he was a teenager, the Japanese invasion destroyed Laurence’s home and forced him to escape. Laurence was separated from his family during the war, settling in Hong Kong with his mother and a brother, while his other two brothers were raised in another part of China by their stepmother.

In Hong Kong, Laurence was able to obtain an education, graduating from the Junior Technical School in 1954, then beginning to work for Hong Kong Telecom at the age of 19. Through mutual friends, Laurence was introduced to Caroline, whom he later married in 1962. The couple had a daughter and two sons: Simmily, Danny, and Samuel.

In 1973, Laurence was presented with the chance to immigrate to America—the land of opportunity. He sacrificed both his work benefits and his life in Hong Kong to move his family to New York, giving them better opportunities and a higher quality of life.

Laurence and his family spent their first year in a two-bedroom apartment with his in-laws, brother-in-law, and grandmother-in-law. Laurence worked hard and was able to purchase a small home in Jackson Heights, Queens after being in America for just 1 year.

Even while working for various private telephone companies, Laurence always made sure to put his family first. Whenever he could, he spent time with them, teaching them life lessons and telling them stories. When he often had to work overtime on weekends, he took his boys to help run telephone cables and then treated them to dinner afterward. He took his family to the Thanksgiving day parades, to see the Christmas lights at Rockefeller center, and to watch baseball games whenever he could. Laurence always worked hard for his family until he retired in 1998.

He enjoyed the simple things in life—talking with his children, taking walks outside and watching American game shows like Jeopardy!, Let’s Make a Deal, Wheel of Fortune, and his favorite: The Price is Right.

His grandchildren were a big part of his life, and he enjoyed spending time with them. Laurence taught several of his grandchildren how to drive, and of course treated them to lunch afterwards. He also gave them regular Chinese lessons, teaching them how to order dishes and recite Bible verses in Cantonese. He never forgot their birthdays and always remembered to celebrate with them or send them birthday gifts.

He continued his tradition of ‘family’ during retirement, playing Wii bowling, going to Disney, enjoying cruises, and going on many vacations with his grandchildren.

He will always be remembered as a fun-loving, hard-working man who did as much as he could for his family.

Laurence is survived by his son Samuel, his daughter Simmily, and eight grandchildren.