There is not much I can say that can pay a better tribute to my much loved father-in-law, Bill Doo, than my husband, Alan, shared at his funeral. I've copied his words below. I want everyone to read them. I want everyone to know what an amazing man Bill was. I want you all to know how much we are going to miss him.
Bill Doo
I know many of you will not know this but my Dad has a very interesting story. I have not got time to go into it all here, but I will touch upon some of the major milestones to provide some context for my later comments.
Bill Doo was born in London in 1927. His father was a well-to-do Chinese merchant and his mother was the half-Chinese, half-Cornish daughter of a policeman who had risen to be a Chief Inspector of Police in Hong Kong. This is another fascinating story to be retold one day. The first major change in Dads life occurred when his parents left England in the mid-1930s for Singapore. Dad's care was entrusted to his aunt in Liskeard, with the intention of him joining his parents in Singapore to attend college after completing his primary schooling in England.
As probably the first Chinese person in the Liskeard area in the 30s, living with an elderly single lady, he did not have an easy time settling in to a new environment and new school but his involvement with a church youth group helped him to get through it. He progressed well at school and passed the exams for the Liskeard County School.
Everything changed with the start of the Second World War in 1939. In 1941 he learned of the likely loss of both his parents after Singapore fell to the Japanese, leaving him an orphan with an uncertain future. The war years were obviously traumatic and chaotic and affected many people's lives. Dad joined the Army Cadet Force as soon as he could to do his part for the war effort and became a successful young leader.
The next phase of his life started when he left school and was able to obtain articles with a local surveyor in Liskeard. The training he received stood him in good stead and he went on to get other positions in Tenterden and Hertford before ending up in St Ives.
This is where many of you will pick up the story. Dad arrived in St Ives in 1953 getting a job as Deputy Borough Surveyor for the Council. He quickly got involved in the local social scene, including as a member of the Operatic Society, Bowling Club and as a founder member of the St Ives Round Table. Some of you may have seen his picture in the St Ives Times & Echo last week where he was presented with a very timely award for his long membership of the Round Table and in the subsequent 41 Club.
He met my mother, Alma, at one of the local dances and was able to woo her with his good looks and charm. Although not the choice her parents, from a very traditional Cornish family, were expecting as a son-in-law Dad was able to win them over too and he and Mum got married in June 1959.
My earliest memories of Dad were of an extremely conscientious worker – as a young boy it seemed that he was always working – but he seemed to be on good terms with all of his colleagues and "the men" – the council workers that he oversaw. Whenever he met them in the street he always had a kind word for them and they all seemed to respect him in return.
Home life was relatively uneventful. Mum was the driving force around the home but Dad provided for the family and seemed to be doing well. In 1974 with the local council re-organization Dad's job was relocated to Penzance. Personally I was happy about the move at the time, because Dad now worked near to my school so I could get a ride with him whenever I missed the train! After a few years of Dad working in Penzance, as well as me and my brother Roger being at school here, it was decided we would make the move, ending our time in St Ives.
I don't think Dad was ever as happy working in the new larger West Penwith Council where difficult budget decisions had to be taken and politics seemed to sour the atmosphere. Through an unusual set of circumstances Dad was offered early retirement in 1980. This led on to the next major phase in his life.
With time on his hands Dad decided to make another attempt to find out what had happened to his mother and father in Singapore, something that had never been resolved in the chaos after the end of World War 2. Through an unlikely sequence of events he was able to identify and make contact with members of his father's family in Singapore. There is a whole long story here in itself, but all I have time to mention now is that Dad, having thought himself to be the only one on his side of the family for so long, now found himself part of a large extended family that is spread all over the world – represented here by Betty Mui, Dad's second cousin. Dad and Mum were able to fly out to Singapore and meet up with the many of them – finding out much about the family history as well as how and when his parents had died during the Japanese occupation.
They discovered that Dad's family line went back to Swatow in Southern China where his great-grandfather had been one of the first converts to Christianity. Ever since, there has been a strong Christian heritage in the family which has produced several ministers and many believers. When Dad met with his great aunt Alice she told him she had been praying for her long lost nephew Billy somewhere in England for more than 50 years in the hope that she would one day meet him. What a miracle!
Meeting up with this inspiring family combined with the spiritual renewal of Chapel Street Methodist church reawakened Dad's faith, which had been always present but not overt for many years. These events set the scene for the remaining years of his life. Sadly by this time I had moved away and was not aware of much of this. Looking from a distance I sometimes wondered what Dad did to fill his life. Yes, he played bowls and helped out with the administration and building maintenance at the church, but he was still relatively young to be a retiree.
I am sorry to say that it was not until his passing that I learned how wisely and generously he has used the last 25+ years. In reviewing the messages in the more than 100 cards we have received I have learned of the tremendous legacy Dad has left. The picture painted by so many is of a "Perfect Christian Gentleman". He was so kind, generous and welcoming. He always thought the best of everyone, treated them with respect and clearly showed the love of Christ to those around him. God had used all of his life to bring him to this place and provided much work for him to do just loving and helping people. Now he is reaping his reward in Heaven as a true and faithful servant.
Within the family these strengths were sometimes overdone, and it was easy to get annoyed by his fussing and concern for everyone, but these really were a reflection of his caring nature and everyone loved him very much.
Dad was very proud of my Mum and his family – his two sons and seven grandchildren. He and Mum were very much opposites, which I think made them a very stable and loving couple for almost 50 years. Mum was the leader in many respects, taking risks, trying new things, always active. Dad was the helper behind the scenes, cleaning up, making the tea, keeping the show on the road. He valued traditions and didn't much like change but he supported everything Mum wanted to do. He wasn't very handy or practical but he used his gift of helping to maximum effect.
The last memory I'd like to leave you with is Bill's "hello boy" – the greeting he used for everyone from 8 months to 80, even to his granddaughters!
Bill Doo: always putting others first, always gentle, always willing to serve. We all owe him so much. We will miss him greatly.
Alan Doo
March 5, 2009
Bill died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm on February 25, 2009, while preparing to go out for lunch with Alma, his wife of almost 50 years.
