S’pore Great-Great-Grandmother Passes Away At 107, She Loved To Eat Durians With Rice

S'pore Great-Great-Grandmother Passes Away At 107, She Loved To Eat Durians With Rice

Singapore Great-Great-Grandmother Of 5 Passes Away At Age 107

We all want our beloved elders to live long and healthy lives, but sadly, we have to say goodbye to them at one point.

Recently, a woman in Singapore passed away at the very ripe old age of 107.

great-great-grandmother

Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook

She leaves behind a huge family, including 32 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.

Before she died, she enjoyed going on daily walks to stay active and drank a small glass of wine every day. She also loved durians and would eat them with rice.

Great-great-grandmother immigrated from China as a child

After being on this earth for 107 long years, Su Zhangyu – name transliterated from Chinese – passed away last Saturday (23 Jul).

At the time of her death, she had 32 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren. We can only imagine how lively their reunions and gatherings must’ve been.

Her eldest son, 81-year-old Zhuo Jinding, told Shin Min Daily News more about her life at the funeral parlour the next day (24 Jul).

He shared that Madam Su was born in Fujian, China and immigrated to Southeast Asia with her adoptive parents as a child.

Together with her husband, they had 11 children, including twin sons.

The family used to live at a kampung in Jalan Kong Kuan, now an HDB area in Bukit Panjang. They reared pigs and ran a bakery from the 60s until the 90s.

Sadly, Madam Su’s husband passed away in 2000 at 93.

Loved durians & wine

One of Madam Su’s favourite things to eat, Mr Zhuo shared, was durians. She would even serve them with rice.

Knowing this, the family would always buy durians for her whenever they were in season as a sign of respect.

Other than the pungent fruit, Madam Su mostly ate light meals, according to her 52-year-old granddaughter Zhuo Yunyun.

She also drank alcohol, such as French wine, every day. When she was younger, her body was quite weak, so her grandfather would let her drink a bit of wine.

Ms Zhuo shared that family members would buy a bottle of wine for Madam Su every time they travelled overseas, but the elderly woman would only drink one small glass each day.

Was very independent & had daily walks

Right before she passed, Madam Su had lived with her second eldest son.

Despite being a centenarian, she insisted on keeping as active as possible, going for walks below their HDB flat with their helper every day.

“She was very independent and knew that she should exercise to stay healthy,” said Mr Zhuo, adding that his mother rarely took medicine during her lifetime.

However, when Covid-19 struck, Madam Su had no choice but to stay at home. Sadly, this caused her physical condition to deteriorate, and she had to rely on a wheelchair to get around.

Before she died, she left special instructions for her family to bury her with a pair of green earrings. However, the significance of that particular piece of jewellery is not clear.

May Madam Su rest in peace

Having been born in the mid-1910s, it’s mind-blowing to think of the things Madam Su had the chance to witness during her long and fruitful life.

She was also blessed to live long enough to meet not just one or two, but five of her great-great-grandchildren.

While her family will sorely miss her, we’re sure they are also very happy that they got to have her around for as long as they did.

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.

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