Virginia May Lau's Obituary
Virginia May Lau passed away peacefully on July 21, 2026, in Honolulu surrounded by her family. She lived a life marked by kindness, friendship, and unwavering devotion to those she loved. She was always a happy and cheerful person.
Born in 1937, she was the the eldest of three daughters. She was raised in San Francisco's Chinatown but later moved to Oakland, CA. She graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1954 where she studied Secretarial Sciences. Virginia met the love of her life, Stephen, on a blind date in Berkeley beginning a lifelong partnership. They married in Berkeley in 1959 and later that year moved to Hawaii where they raised their family. Virginia and Stephen were blessed with three children and five grandchildren: Ronald Lau (wife Rachel, granddaughters Kathryn and Megan), Kristina Tong (husband Peter and grandson Alexander), and Melina Lau (husband Shane Doong and grandsons Maximilion and Samson).
She dedicated many years of service to the University of Hawaii’s School of Social Work and Kapiolani Community College. Colleagues valued her dependability, kindness, and willingness to help others, and she took great pride in serving the public with integrity and compassion.
She devoted countless hours to volunteering including serving as PTA president for all of her children at Hahaione Elementary, Niu Valley Intermediate and Kaiser High. She served the Chinese community as the Historian and Newsletter Editor for the Friends of Palolo Chinese Home.
Family was at the center of Virginia's life and she created traditions that brought generations together. She believed that the greatest gift she could give was time spent with those she loved. Holidays, birthdays, and family gatherings were always special occasions, filled with delicious home-cooked meals, laughter, and stories shared around the table. She delighted in welcoming family and friends into her home, making everyone feel like they belonged.
She was predeceased by her father, mother, and sister Amelia. She is survived by her husband, three children, five grandchildren, and her sister Viola.
A celebration of her life will be held on Monday, August 10, 2026, from 5 to 7pm at the Diamond Head Mortuary Park Pavilion, 535 18th Avenue, Honolulu, HI, 96816. Aloha attire. The family kindly requests that donations be made in Virginia’s memory to Palolo Chinese Home or the UH Foundation for the L Stephen Lau Water Research Endowed Scholarship. She will be interred in a private ceremony.
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