Hundreds bid farewell to ‘consummate corporate citizen’ Lascelles Chin
Lascelles Chin was hailed as the little country boy who overcame poverty and illness to build an impressive corporate empire while generously donating to public servants who helped to make his success possible at a thanksgiving service for his life in Kingston.
Hundreds, including Governor-general Sir Patrick Allen, Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding, were present at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in St Andrew on Wednesday for the send-off for the late chairman of LASCO Affiliated Companies and the LASCO Chin Foundation, who was as passionate about building his businesses as he was about improving the lives of Jamaicans.
“Dad was a very generous man,” said Chin’s daughter Lisa Watts in her tribute.
She spoke about his contribution to the business sector, his compassion for humanity and cracked a smile as she reminisced about him sharing ice cream popsicles with her siblings.
“Dad had an infectious sense of humour. Even if the joke was corny, his delivery was impeccable,” she quipped.
Archbishop Kenneth Richards, in delivering the homily, described Chin as “the consummate corporate citizen”, reaching beyond those associated with himself to help others.
In the eulogy, Lasco executive James Rawle noted that the company, through its soy and milk products, was largely responsible for improving the health of ordinary Jamaicans.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness recalled the late businessman’s “extraordinary entrepreneurial journey”, which started in 1956 and transformed not only his life but the lives of “all around him and as far as he could touch”.
“From around the shop counter, he saw the lives of ordinary Jamaicans. He never forgot that,” Holness said, lauding Chin’s generosity in presenting annual awards to outstanding teachers, nurses and police officers.
Scores of employees sporting Lasco-branded shirts or dressed in their signature bright pink colours were among the mourners, with many serving as ushers and manning booths with Lasco’s wide assortment of refreshments.
Lascelles Chin, who died in the US at the age of 86 last month, is survived by his widow Dr Eileen Chin, six children, and several grandchildren.