SINGAPORE: He was separated from his wife for 20 years and was childless. And he spent almost a decade in a home for the destitute before he was transferred to a nursing home in 2017.
He bowed his head to the dead man, with the belief that his words did not fall on deaf ears. “I do this for my conscience – as accountability to this person,” he explained to CNA Insider.He was true to his word. Not only did he take the body to be cleaned, he also attended the funeral service and even tried to sing the Catholic hymns as part of arranging the last rites.
“He held my hand tightly and said, ‘Chairman, you’re my only friend who comes and visits me.’ And also his grandson – there was no other visitor,” Mr Lim recounted. He had to first look for funding and managed to pool together seed money from some of his friends and himself, amounting to S$35,000. In 2012, Cheng Hong’s Afterlife Memorial Service was born.
“They were aware that they didn’t know who to look for when they pass away. So they said they wanted to do it . So it’s different when it’s discussed openly,” he said.He and his small team – just a handful of staff – have since seen some 190 people on their final journey. The cases have left an impression on them in various ways.
“He wanted to eat fried Hokkien mee. We bought Hokkien mee for him … every day,” she said. “He wanted a haircut, but too late.”This is Uncle’s favourite jacket,” explained Ms Tan, 40, who had taken it from his home when she learnt of his death. “Every time he went out, he’d wear this yellow jacket because he was scared of the cold.”
“For me, work is work. But with certain seniors, the feeling is different. Maybe is the way show him he isn’t alone,” she said.However lonely a life some seniors had led, Mr Lim is motivated to ensure that their death is different. “A person dying without any family is the most heart-breaking thing,” he said.
While this began as part of the Afterlife Memorial Service, more effort has been put into it since 2014, with shopping activities, trips to places such as Gardens by the Bay and Chinese New Year visits. His daily routine said it all: “After breakfast, wait for shower. Queue up for shower. After shower, queue up for medicine … After that, wait for lunch … After lunch, nothing to do, either sleep or TV. That’s all.”
Noble n kind