e-mail from Lena, received 9

e-mail from Lena, received 8.5.2007 :

I'm Lim Yoke Kim's daughter.

My dad passed away on 8/5/2007 at 4:15pm. Service
will be held soon. His brother is returning from
overseas.

For details, please call any of the following:
017-3851720 (Lim Yoke Kim)-Lena
016-2874986 (Daughter-Lena)
019-3321720 (Son-Leonard)

Thank you.

Lena

e-mail from Kee Lee Chang, received 10.5.2007 :

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end.

Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,

And before I know it, a year is gone.

And I never see my old friend's face,

For life is a swift and terrible race.

And now we are busy, tired men,

Tired of playing a foolish game,

Tired of trying to make a name.

"Tomorrow" I say "I will call on Kim

Just to show that I'm thinking of him."

But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,

And distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner - yet miles away,

"Here's a telegram, sir"

"Kim passed away...."

And that's what we get and deserve in the end.

Around the corner, a vanished friend.

Adapted from Anonymous

Extracted from e-mail from Maria & Joseph, received 10.5.2007:

Dear Lee Chang, Yes,your beautiful sentiments are a tribute to YK. We were very stunned to receive the email from his daughter Lena. He is the fittest man in our group, what, climbing Mt Kinabalu,last year and playing tennis often and the latest jetting around the world on Air Asia! Joe spoke to him often on the phone. We emailed him often and we do miss him. May his soul rest in peace.

Maria & Joseph

e-mail from Rama, received 10.5.2007

RIP – LIM YOKE KIM (Kirkby 1960-61)

My Dear Kirkbyites,

This letter should have been written yesterday but the sad news regarding the demise of Lim Yoke Kim was circulated by his daughter to all his Kirkby colleagues. This was the reason why I did not respond immediately. I apologise for this.

Yesterday Teresa Voon called me at 8.12 in the morning to inform me that Maria had called from New Zealand to state that Yoke Kim had passed away suddenly on Tuesday, 8 May at 4.15 p.m. Maria had received a email from Yoke Kim’s daughter, Lena, conveying this sad news to his colleagues.

Soon after Fook Wah from London and Mary Siow also called to share this sad news.

I called Yoke Kim’s daughter to convey our condolences. Lena informed me that her father suffered a massive heart attack on Tuesday and passed away at 4.15 p.m. I was told that they were waiting for Yoke Kim’s brother to return from Sydney and the funeral would take place on his return.

I called again last night and learned that the funeral would take place today as the brother was expected to be back that night around 9.30 p.m. I’m told that the funeral procession is scheduled to leave Yoke Kim’s residence at 1.00 p.m. today.

Yoke Kim was from Block 11 – I think – or could even be from Block 9. It was only recently that I got to meet him after all these years. He was in Penang for the 2004 Reunion. He was hale and hearty and was cheerful. However, he informed that his wife was ailing and that he was helping to take care of her.

Then we met again two years later at the Ipoh Reunion in 2006. He was his usual cheerful self. When we debated where the next Reunion should be, he took part in that discussion. He was subsequently elected Treasurer. If I’m not mistaken it was Yoke Kim who suggested during the discussion that I should contact Chelvarajah for assistance which I did very much later. In fact, when the Committee went to Malacca to make some initial arrangement on 8 March, Chelva gave dinner for the 17 Kirkbites who turned up that day.

As Treasurer, he was very meticulous in keeping the accounts and kept us informed how he was managing the funds and how much money stood in the accounts.

By all accounts, Yoke Kim was fit as a fiddle. He was in excellent health, playing squash daily. I’m told he also jogs. He had climbed Mount Kinabalu twice. This is why those who knew him well were terribly shocked that he should have suffered a heart attack that killed him.

But health has nothing to do with death, as I reckon. People die when they die. When it is time to go, you go. Healthy people die and sometimes sick people don’t die immediately. It all depends how much time we are are allotted during our sojourn in this world.

Yoke Kim was very excited about the arrival of his second grand daughter soon. It is a pity that he did not live long enough to see this child.

Yoke Kim travelled quite a bit, visiting nearby countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc. After his last travel, I’m told that he remarked, “No more travelling for me!”

How prophetic those words turned out to be! Yes, there will be no more travelling for Yoke Kim.

May his soul rest in peace.

For those who may want to write to the family or get in touch with them over the phone, I’m appending the necessary information below:

7 Jalan PUJ 7/3, Taman Puncak Jalil, Bandar Putra Permai, 43300 Kuala Lumpur.

017-3851720 (Daughter Lena); 019-3321720 (Brother)

Rama

e-mail from Cynthia

Dear Lena, Leonard & Sau Ying,

You have lost your beloved father/brother and we Kirkbyites have lost a very dear and special friend. We grieve with you and our prayers go with you and Lily.

The devastating news of his demise that came pouring in in the early morning of 8 May stunned us all. Goh Moi, Mary and I had met up with him only a few days earlier and had found him as jovial, positive and healthy as ever. We'll treasure fond memories of our last meal and afternoon together.

We also have a wealth of delightful memories of all our Kirbyites' gatherings & reunions. YK's laughter and chatter AND singing were familiar and most welcomed. Invariably, YK would have big smiles and warm greetings for everyone.

All the messages you have received from his Kirkby friends bear testimony to what a wonderful guy Yoke Kim was: ever so obliging, dependable and cheerful.

His sense of humour was incredible. To be sure, he was an inspiration to us.

I could go on and on, but in short, Lim Yoke Kim was an epitome of a true friend and Kirkbyite. I would also like to explain to you that our Kirkby experience has fostered a highly special bond among us. We are 'adik-beradik' for life.

Take care and God bless,

Cynthia MK Lim

012-2865572

03-78778572