Hon-Peng "Phillip" Lau

Hon-Peng Phillip Lau of Hockessin, Delaware passed away on Thursday, October 16, 2025 at the age of 80 after a 7-month battle with cancer.  He was born in 1945 in Canton, China to the late Ming Chai and Shuet Chun Lau.

Phillip was a graduate of Perth Street High School in Hong Kong, class of 1966.  He attended Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, graduating in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and then earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Washington University at St. Louis, Missouri in 1977.  He worked as a research chemist for 40 years in the Clinical Diagnostic division with the DuPont Company and Siemens AG.

Phillip was a member of the Chinese American Community Center in Hockessin, the Mid County Senior Center in Wilmington and Dilwyne Badminton Club. In his leisure time, he enjoyed playing badminton, tennis, pickleball and golf.  He also enjoyed gardening, hiking, photography, and volunteering for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.  He traveled to a variety of destinations, from Machu Picchu, the city in the sky, to the Maldives, where he enjoyed the bungalows directly facing the ocean. He enjoyed organizing trips and cruises for friends and family around the world, which earned him the title of “Chief”.

Phillip is survived by his wife of 51 years, Sze-Mei “Cindy” Lau; his daughter, Heidi Lau (Jonathan Ho) of Wilmington, Delaware and his son, Kenneth Lau (Lisa Nguyen) of Albany, California.

A funeral service will be held at the Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Road, Pike Creek, Delaware on Monday, November 17th at 3:00PM. 

A reception will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his honor to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741 (https://www.cancer.org).

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Hon-Peng "Phillip" Lau, please visit our floral store.