Deceased - Down the Memory Lane – Lasallians Remembered

Our beloved Lasallian and chapter’s soccer team player Baltazar P. Aguirre ’77, a.k.a. “Jing”, aged 61, passed away peacefully on June 15^th 2022.

Baltazar was an active Old Boy. He represented us to play in the North American La Salle Old Boys Soccer Tournament for many years. His dedication and determination always helped our team move towards victory.

Off the field, he was a kind and gentle person with true La Salle spirit. He had a special kind of calmness and friendliness that made people take an immediate liking to him.  In addition to his work in the family business, he joined the Daly City Policy Station as a Police Assistant for 21 years of dedicated services. He was also a devout Catholic who served as a Sacristan for 10 years at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in San Francisco. He lived his faith in a humble and quiet way and served the community with zeal and faith.

He brought us so many great memories, and will always live in our hearts.

May he rest in peace in God’s embrace.

Obituary

Beloved son, brother and uncle, Baltazar Juan P. Aguirre III, passed away peacefully in Our Lord’s Grace at 1:13 am, Wednesday, June 15, 2022.

Baltazar was called Jing as a nickname by family members. He was named after his father, Baltazar, Jr. and his patron saint, St. John the Baptist. He was born to Baltazar Aguirre, Jr. and Carmen Aguirre, in Manila, Philippines, on June 24, 1960. He was educated by the La Salle Brothers, both in Hong Kong British Crown Colony and in the Philippines. He was a phenomenal athlete in school, being a gifted soccer player and track and field star that won him awards including his winning goal that gave La Salle High School Greenhills, the NCAA Championship over Ateneo High School.

He graduated from the University of the Philippines (Diliman Campus) with a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the military after completing ROTC. He successfully completed the Army Ranger course earning him the coveted “Ranger” tab. He was a member of the University of the Philippines Vanguard Fraternity (U.P. Banaag, Class of 1981).

He emigrated to the United States in 1986 and worked at his brother’s family business in San Francisco. Baltazar joined the Daly City Police Department as a Police Assistant in 1998, retiring in 2019 after 21 years of dedicated service. As “PA5” (his radio call-sign), he was assigned to the Traffic Division, performing parking enforcement duties and concurrently served as the department’s Court Liaison Officer. He was one of the first Police Assistants to be assigned as Court Officer.

Baltazar’s role as a Court Officer provided him with a deeper appreciation of how the justice system works, from arrest to prosecution and judgement, and witnessed the hard work and dedication of Daly City’s detectives and patrol officers. He valued the relationships he developed over the years with the Department’s Investigation Division, Patrol, Property, Records, as well as the County’s District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, and the Superior Court Judges he worked with.

He had a keen interest in current events and history and was well versed particularly in foreign policies and international affairs, an interest he inherited from his late father. He was a car enthusiast and had the skill of identifying second-hand vehicles in pristine condition. He liked to relax by watching the English Premier League soccer games, documentaries, classic car shows and vintage television shows.

As a former school athlete, it was always a joyful experience for him to play in the La Salle Old Boys soccer tournament as part of their annual reunion. It was an opportunity for him to reconnect with former classmates, teammates and teachers from Hong Kong. He also enjoyed meeting up with his U.P. Vanguard fraternity brothers at their gatherings. His other interests were learning how to play the piano and taking up Italian lessons.

Baltazar was a devout Catholic who lived his faith in a humble and quiet way. He served as a Sacristan for ten (10) years at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in San Francisco. He had deep devotions to the Holy Eucharist, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Divine Mercy.

He was a parishioner of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Daly City and Star of the Sea Catholic Church in San Francisco. He organized the annual Divine Mercy Sunday celebration at St. Bruno’s Church in San Bruno for over twenty (20) years. He volunteered every year for the 40 Days For Life by standing in prayerful vigil outside the Planned Parenthood at Baywood, San Mateo. He loved and defended the unborn.

He had a fraternal love for his Priest friends who supported him with their Masses and prayers, and with whom he shared a deep relationship with the Lord. He would also assist some pastors he knew, in facilitating with the Police Department for the orderly traffic flow when they held outdoor religious processions during parish festivals.

On June 12, 2022, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, he was received into the Dominican Order (Order of Preachers) as a member of the Dominican Laity of the Corpus Christi Chapter in Menlo Park, of which his sister Charo is also a member. He was generous with his time helping the Chapter with their events, driving them to retreats. He had a special bond with the Dominican nuns of Corpus Christi Menlo Park, helping them with their photography needs during special occasions at their Monastery.

He loved to travel and most of his travels were with his sisters, Magda and Charo. He was able to make Marian Pilgrimages to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Paris, France and Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.

In 2009, on a trip to the Vatican with his two sisters, he personally met and spoke with Pope Benedict XVI during the General Audience.

In 2013, during a trip to Rome to attend Pope Benedict XVI’s final audience, Baltazar was interviewed by the Catholic News Agency which was published in the San Francisco Catholic.

In 2015 he organized a special family 3-country trip to Europe (France, Italy and England) touring seven cities highlighted by a visit to see the Shroud of Turin in public display, a trip to Normandy, France for the 71st anniversary of D-Day and, being a lifelong Manchester United Football Club supporter, watched the Legends match against Bayern Munich at their stadium at Old Trafford.

In 2016, he went to Spain with his sisters to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Dominican Order, visiting Madrid and Barcelona as well as St. Dominic’s birthplace in Caleruega.

In November 2017, he and his sisters made a pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.

In 2018, Baltazar had an opportunity to bond with his two brothers, Dennis and Ray by making a special trip to Scotland to watch The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. They also went to London to watch a Chelsea Football Club soccer match at Stamford Bridge.

Baltazar was a beloved brother to Maria Magdalena (Magda), Dennis, Maria Rosario (Charo) and Raymund (Ray) Aguirre. He was a loving uncle who was affectionately called “Tito Jing” by Kevin (wife Mary), Ryan and Christen Aguirre (children of Dennis) and Matthew Aguirre (son of Ray).

He will be deeply missed by many because of his kindness and compassion for others. He was a true gentleman and a man of integrity. He will always be remembered for his goodness, generosity, selflessness and joyful disposition.

Above all, his life centered on love for God and neighbor, manifested in his fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church, his service to the public and his undying devotion to his family. His reward awaits him now.

In Heaven!

Dr. Chan completed his primary and secondary education at La Salle College, Hong Kong. He thereafter graduated from University of Hong Kong and received his first medical degrees. He further obtained professional qualifications from the United Kingdom. He was awarded Fellowships by a number of Medical Professional Institutions and qualified as a specialist in Cardiology, Hong Kong Medical Council in 1999. Since graduation, Dr. Chan served as a medical doctor at Queen Mary Hospital, Grantham Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital until he started his private practice in 1985. Throughout his professional life, Dr. Chan had also provided medical care to low-income households at Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions Workers Medical Clinics. He was well praised by his patients for his devotion and selflessness. He was survived by his wife Teresa, daughter Dawn and son Leo.

Posted on the OBA Chatboard by Dr. Robert Yuen Kar Ngai (71) on 29 July 2005

Quote: It was with regret that we heard of the news that Dr. CHAN Wai Kai, a prominent Catholic ophthamologist in private practice in Central and old boy of LSC in its early days had passed away recently. He had been, among other things, Honorary Lecturer in Ophthamologist of HKU, teaching generations of medical students the clinical science of eye diseases and Master of the Guild of St. Luke (Hong Kong Catholic Doctors’ Association). He would be long remembered as a gentle and generous doctor with deep empathy for his patients and their families. Unquote

Dr Chan was also the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society between 1969 and 1971.

The following was posted on the OBA Chatboard (modified) on David Cheung’s passing.

RIP David Cheung (63) Dear All

I am very saddened to share with you that David Cheung (63), a former loyal Committee Member of the LSCOBA for many years, passed away early Wednesday morning, 20th January 2010. David suffered from cancer, which was discovered middle of 2009.

David was extremely proud to be a Lasallian, and he had been a loyal supporter of Lasallian affairs for many years.

At 11 years old, David left Pooi To (培道) Primary School and entered LSC’s P5 in January 1956 (at that time LSPS was not yet open). The school was then located on Perth Street. In Sept 1956, he repeated P5 as the academic standard of his former school was different from La Salle’s. In September 1957, David entered the new LSPS grounds on La Salle Road as a P6 boy. David entered LSC F1 in 1959, which was still occupying the Perth Street Campus, so he had to move from LSPS La Salle Road to Perth Street. In F2, he returned to La Salle Road campus as the school moved back to La Salle Road after the British Army released the building back to the Brothers.

So he used to tell me that, as a kid, he had a very confused childhood, as he didn’t understand why he had to move school (campus) all the time!! David offered me much help with my research into Perth Street, through his many stories and personal memories, like opening an umbrella in a leaking classroom during heavy rain, folding paper boats and setting them off in a flooded classroom, burning the grass of the hill behind the school etc.

David studied all the way to F7 in LSC, and then left HK for studies in N. America.

David was a faithful supporter of many school events and sports competitions. When I played soccer for La Salle in the early 1980s, David was already watching interschool games. Besides, David was always full of life. He was a globe-trotter and visited dozens of countries worldwide in all continents, including many very exotic destinations. He once told me he had visited all provinces of China, including the origins of Huang Ho in Qinghai Province, and I think he had to engage a jeep and a driver and it took days of poor roads to get there. David had been a travel columnist for a magazine, sharing his travel tales.

Besides his travel, David had achieved some outstanding episodes in life that few could match. He had completed many 100Km Oxfam HK Trailwalkers and half marathrons through the years, and also completed many Sower Action walks to Guangzhou from HK, fund raising for the charity. However, those achievements were only warm-ups for this man’s ultimate challenge of his life, a 2,800 kilometres walk from HK to Beijing, also for Sower’s Action to raise funds for China’s needy school children. While participants could take part by picking different stages of the walk to Beijing, David is said to be the only participant to walk every day of the 120 day walk, two others who walked the full journey were taken ill on some of the days in between. The group walked 6 days a week, and on the rest day, David still had energy to go to the local Chinese discos for some dancing and fun, he recalled. On the journey, David he wore out three pairs of shoes and shed quite a few pounds on the way, and he was very happy all through the journey.

David was still serving in the OBA Committee up to the term 2008-09. In June 2009, at an OBA Committee dinner gathering, the committee gave David a surprise birthday celebration, and he could not stop smiling that evening. Unfortunately, soon after, David learnt that he had cancer in the throat.

I visited David just before Christmas in his office, and although he was considerably thinner, he was still relatively bright. As an insurance agent, he was still eagerly “running numbers”, and was proud to show me he was still one the top of top agents in his team, and was due to win another trip! As we departed at our last encounter, he still offered me a firm handshake, and I told him to keep fighting and he gave me a nod. A few weeks ago, the man happily went on the last earthly trip, to Vietnam. Good for him! He returned to HK on the 16th January, and recommenced work on 18th January. He was still working on 19th January, and he passed away on the 20th January. This guy truly lives life to its full, and with no regrets.

Many of us in La Salle will remember David in our own fond way. At the Committee meeting of the OBA later that January, the Committee observed a minute’s silence for David.

From being much a senior to me, seeing me play football for LSC when I was in my early teens in the early 1980s, David became a life long friend of mine, enjoying hikes, jokes, the Trailwalker, hearty meals, stories and pranks, and also serving the interests for old boys in the OBA in the committee. Please pray for the soul of David, and we will see him in heaven later.

David, who turned closer to God in his final days, was a bachelor and lived with his father, stepmother and one of his younger sisters in Kowloon City, the same place he called home since at least his 1950s La Salle Perth Street days.

With a heavy heart,
Mark Huang (85)

Photos of David on his 2,800Km walk to Beijing. David is wearing shorts in the center in the first photo, and the only one wearing shorts in the second.