Bro. Sharkey, Eugene James
Biography
Brother Eugene Sharkey, a La Salle Brother, died on Wednesday 16 March 1994 in St. Teresa’s Hospital. He was aged 68. Brother Eugene had been suffering from cancer of the throat for about two years and neither radiation nor surgery worked. Brother Eugene James Sharkey, was born on 25 February 1926 in Co. Donegal, Ireland to James and Bridget Sharkey. He was the eldest of eleven children, six boys and five girls. He entered the Brothers Novitiate in 1942 and on completion was sent to England for his professional training. Brother Eugene came as a missionary to the Far East in 1947 and was to spend the rest of his life, 47 years in all, serving in Malaysia, Singapore and was then transferred to Hong Kong where he taught in La Salle College for 16 years. In 1969 he was a founder member of Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College, Homantin. He became its Principal in 1970 and continued in that position until his retirement in 1991. Thousands of old boys and numerous teachers miss Brother Eugene. To them he was like a rock, a shield and a place of refuge amidst the storms of life. Brother Eugene was a strong, generally silent man, with a deep-rooted spirituality and a touching humanity. To his Brothers he was just that, a brother, a fine community man and a man of sage counsel. Brother Eugene was laid to rest in the Brothers plot in Happy Valley on Monday 21 March 1994. Information obtained from: http://archives.catholic.org.hk/memory/E-Sharkey.htm
| Contributed by: | L.K. Wong         2007-10-18 15:23:50 |
| Description: | I came to know Bro Eugene in my final year at La Salle, the same year we moved back to Boundary Street. He was my form-master, and was handling the certificate class for the first time. For years, of course, he was Gum Sing, or Man from Mars, to the lower forms on account of his stern appearance and quiet manner. No one dared mess with him, in or out of class. To our surprise, however, he turned out to be quite amiable, with a nice sense of humour. That year we had excellent HKSC results, headed by Alfred Lee with 7 or 8 distinctions. Bro Eugene was also keen in sports. He formed a boxing team while I was in Form 2 and I was foolish enough to get into the ring with Ma Kin Cheng. That was the end of my boxing career. I was the first one to leave Hongkong when school ended and I came back to say goodbye. He was walking his a big German shepherd that morning and we had a little chat. I remember it as if it was yesterday. For the first time, he talked to me as a friend would and we promised to keep in touch. After some initial correspondence, I regret to say I did not keep my end of the bargain. Now that I know where he is through this website, I guess I’ll have to look him up again, with apologies. 10/18/2007 |