Remembering Jenny
She was born in Penang and grew up together with my Mum and her siblings. Orphaned at a young age, Jenny was originally cared for by a Malaysian relative who wanted to abandon her in a brothel. My Granny, who was the family matriach, would have none of it, She took Jenny under her wing and brought her up as her own daughter. Granny also gave Jenny an affectionate nick-name ” Siew Sum” which means Smile that lights up the Heart.
My Granny moved to Singapore with the rest of the family and with her when she was in her late teens. She got to know Peter, her soul-mate as pen pals. Later, when she stayed with my Uncle at Happy Avenue, Peter also “happened” to live in that estate.
So we grew up calling her” JIe Jie” or older sister; and her husband, Peter, as Kor Kor, or older brother. Although she was only a few years younger than my Mum, she and Peter never quite belonged to that older generation. Unofficially, they dropped one generation and became our “cousins” while we became “aunties” to their son and then “Grand-aunties” to their grand-kids. While Jenny and Peter only had one son, because of medical issues, they were close to us, the cuzzies from Granny’s side of the family.
As far back as I could remember, every first day of Chinese New Year ( CNY ) was a big gathering of the “clan” at their place. Jenny was a superb cook – her Mee Siam, Chicken Macaroni Soup and Popiah were simply out of this world. The Modus Operandi of the day would be visiting the seniors, then we would all proceed to their place for dinner, followed by Mahjong and Gin Rummy late into the wee hours of next morning. Gambling was always in our blood, starting with Granny, and it passed down to the generations that follow.
I grew up with fond memories of those CNY gatherings over the years. They have handed over the mantle to me and this family tradition has been continued for 4 generations already.
Peter has always been the rock and a pillar of strength. With an affable disposition and excellent people skills, he was a community leader and role model. Jenny, on the other hand, was a strict disciplinarian. we were all a little scared of her but she had a heart of gold.
Whatever Jenny did, she excelled in it. She was a real-estate agent in her younger days and no one in her family bought anything without her endorsement. She always had a knack of getting good deals. She was a devoted mother and mama to her 3 grandkids. To us, she was the most stylish and chic dresser ever. Every now and then, in her younger days, she would give us bags of her hand-me-downs ( which were so much nicer than the clothes we bought ourselves ) which my two elder cuzzies, Mei and Peng, and I would covet with glee.
Mahjong was her passion. Everyone who played with her has ended up paying “tuition fees” because she was so good at her game. The kakis were also treated to excellent home-cooked food at her place so they kept returning.
In 2018, Jenny was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. It was a devastating blow to her family. But the story continues with the goodness and favour of God at every step of the way. The doctor’s prognosis was just a few months but with a targeted experimental treatment, and being well-cared for by Peter, Jenny was able to enjoy playing mahjong with her pals and even visited her grand-daughter in UK for her graduation. During this period, the family grew much closer.
In the week before she passed on, she had difficulties breathing after a mahjong game and was admitted to hospital. At the time, her son, daugher-in-law and grand-daughters were in the US. Chrissie, her eldest and closest grand-daughter, flew in earlier and was able to be with her, together with her brother, who was in Singapore. It was nothing short of a miracle that A and J, her son and daughter-in-law, together with E, her youngest grand-daughter, were able to fly into Singapore, under strict Covid restrictions, made their way to hospital, to say their last good-byes to her, and for a final closure. The SQ flight arrived in Singapore a full hour earlier, something which only God can facilitate.
Even in her last days, Jenny left us with hope and encouragement. She told her family that she saw Jesus and Mary in her sleep. Jesus, in his compassion, brought along Mary for Jenny because she never had a real mother.
Jenny was a woman of faith and love. Her passing has left a deep void in all our hearts, for those who knew her. But she did not leave us without assuring us that she is now with Jesus. This is not Goodbye but only so long until we meet her again in heaven.
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