King Choy Lau

King Choy Lau was born in 1934 in Kow Kong Village (九江村) in the Guangdong Province of China. For much of his early life China was a wartorn country and he was forced to move from place to place. By the 1940s, he was in Hong Kong. Seeking a better life, he left Hong Kong for San Francisco in 1951, joining his brothers Martin and Willie and his cousin Ralph.

He always had an artistic sense, going back to sketching and doodling in class in Hong Kong. In San Francisco, he studied Chinese painting under renowned artist Chao Shao-An. He put his artistic talent to use in his brother’s store, hand painting signs for the meat and produce.

King’s mother raised him as a devout Buddhist and he was introduced to the Buddha’s Universal Church (BUC) in San Francisco by church co-founder Dr. Paul Fung, who was also a prominent member of the Kow Kong Benevolent Association.

In 1955, he met his future wife Loretta at BUC's Chinese New Year Bazaar. They married in 1960, and their partnership spanned over 55 years. In 1969 Loretta and King were blessed with a son, Alexander (Alex), who became a source of great pride and joy to Loretta and King. King even gave up smoking for Alex’s sake.

Loretta’s father Charles and her brother Thomas taught him the electrical trade, and he joined the family business. He worked for over 60 years in the trade and retired at the age of 88.

He loved children and would always play with his nephews, nieces, grand-nephews, and grand-nieces at any opportunity. His warm smile and generosity made him Uncle King to the entire extended family.

King’s passion for art stayed with him for his whole life. He painted and sketched in his free time, and volunteered to design and paint scenery and signs for BUC’s lectures and annual play. He took up running in his early 40s, and worked his way up from the Bay to Breakers to the Double Dipsea Race to the San Francisco Marathon, finishing at least a dozen marathons before he was done. He loved travel, and on Loretta’s summer vacations he would drive with her, Alex, and whoever was available to destinations like Disneyland, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. He was also an avid sports fan, and would watch pretty much any live sports either in person or on TV. He particularly liked taking Alex to games, and they shared some pretty historic moments like The Play at the Cal-Stanford Big Game in 1982, the earthquake game during the 1989 World Series at Candlestick Park, and the San Jose Sharks’ first ever franchise win at the Cow Palace in 1991.

Later in life, King took up golf, and it became one of his favorite activities.. He would get up early on the weekend to catch a round at Lincoln or Harding and be back by lunch. Periodically he would play in tournaments with the Marin County Chinese Golf Club.

After Loretta’s stroke he became a tireless caretaker, tending to her needs with a smile and a loving touch. He learned everything he needed to do and did it with no questions asked.

King passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 26, 2026. He joined his wife Loretta, his parents, and his 8 siblings. He is survived by his son Alexander, his cousins Joyce and Judy, nephews Thomas, George, Herman, Gregory, Steven, Andrew, and Tony, nieces Merilyn, Gwendolyn, Rosalyn, Evelyn, Ga Po, Maxine, and Mable, as well as many more cousins, nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and grand-nieces. The services will be held at Buddha’s Universal Church (720 Washington Street in San Francisco) on Saturday, September 12, beginning at 11am. Interment at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Colma will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Buddha’s Universal Church, the Chinese Hospital Association, or the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation.