Homage to a true gentleman
We appreciate someone through our own eyes and experiences. When that person passes away, we learn more and understand better who he was through the eyes of the world he affected.
Joe Karunaratne lived in Colombo and Washington, D.C., spent time in the U.K., and travelled extensively for business and pleasure. His world was large indeed, but ultimately it was those around him who mattered most. Joe passed away on October 18, 2017.
Character mattered more than the letters after someone’s name of course, so it was what someone did with his degree that made the difference. Joe took his LLB and ably and graciously used the knowledge he gained to serve Dudley Senanayake as his Private Secretary in the 1960s.
He respected the public service and his time with Mr. Senanayake had a profound impact on the rest of his professional career which expanded to the private sector and the Ceylon Tobacco Company. He took that experience and his vision to develop the duty-free industry for Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The stories he shared of government ser- vice then and the men and women he worked with highlighted that then it was more to do with respect and integrity, than today.
With all his extensive global travels, he still loved his island home Sri Lanka and did his part to share his values and his opinions with the community. From serving in Kiwanis International to various charitable organisations, he always focused on transforming those around him and sharing his wealth in more ways than one. When he was supposed to be retired, he instead offered his counsel to younger Sri Lankans who had ideas and needed his help to move forward.
Joe appreciated that network of friendships and business partnerships he developed in his lifetime in Sri Lanka. Everyone seemed to have been a batchmate or the sister of a colleague. It is one thing to make friends, but another to cultivate friendships. It wasn’t the numbers, but the people who mattered to him. Charmaine & Joe hosted countless grand dinner parties on Gregory’s Road and cosier meals in Colombo 3. Whether they were old childhood friends or old friends of their children, Joe made all feel welcome.
Whether it was the foundational learning he received at St. Joseph’s and St. Benedict’s or Peradeniya University, he was a keen believer in the power of learning both through theory and people. He inspired and enabled his children to achieve and thrive in the universities in the U.S. He made sure his grandchildren understood the value of education.
Finally, bringing Joe’s life into focus from a worldwide perspective back to Sri Lanka to his friends then to his children and grandchildren, little of the above could have, nay would have happened without his wife of 56 years, Charmaine. For better or for even better, this marriage endured under the watch of the heavens. Joe’s successes and setbacks, joys and sorrows, and countless other aspects of his life were all experienced with Charmaine at his side.
Only biographers and God can catalogue a man’s life adequately. One story to cover 83 years is all we can offer. So, we say to him, in the Latin language he enjoyed quoting, “Requiescat in pace” (May he [continue] to rest in peace).