PUBLISHED ONAugust 14, 2026 11:16 AMBYLim KeweiThe funeral wake of Physics teacher Lau Chu Beng was attended by "a few hundred" people, including former students from nearly 30 years ago and old classmates who had lost contact with him.
Many young students and ex-students who came to pay their respects also wrote farewell notes and placed it on the casket, a gesture which deeply touched Lau's family.
The 55-year-old lead teacher at Yusof Ishak Secondary School (YISS) died on Aug 6, and the wake was held till Aug 10.
Online tributes described Lau as a caring, friendly and inspirational teacher and mentor.
When Lau's younger brother, who declined to be named, reached out to AsiaOne in the days after, he said the family wished to thank the numerous visitors to the wake.
"I really lost count (of the number of mourners)," he told AsiaOne on Friday (Aug 14), recounting how current students, ex-students, parents, ex-colleagues and friends had steadily streamed in over the five-day wake.
Recalling a particularly touching moment, he said two students had stood by Lau's casket for almost an hour.
"They were talking to each other, like the three of them. Then they were crying, laughing, and making jokes," the brother added.
"Even until the last day, when my brother's cortege was leaving, someone managed to rush down. Another came after the cortege left. He said he received the message too late; he had just arrived in Singapore."
Lau was unmarried and had a close relationship with the extended family.
He had been unwell since September 2025, his brother said, without elaborating further, adding that his passing was unexpected.
The family also appreciated the visitors who took time to carefully pen a message to Lau.
A student had asked for permission to leave a note, and the family agreed.
"One group started to write, and the rest followed," the brother told AsiaOne.
"I didn't expect there to be so many over the next few days, until we had no space. We had to put a box and let them drop (the messages) inside."
He showed AsiaOne some excerpts of the multiple two-page letters written by various students.
Some students folded their notes into paper cranes, and others passed the papers to Lau's family.
One had even drawn a portrait of Lau.
It was an emotional moment for the family when they sat down to read some of these messages on the last day of the wake, he said.
The family did not keep the notes, arranging to send Lau off together with them.
"He created a lot of memories," the brother said. "Whenever he walked, he left a trail, he left something behind, and people always remember."
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lim.kewei@asiaone.com
