My Older Brother Breathed His Last

The passing of my older brother, Teck Fui, was not entirely unexpected. He had been unwell and wheelchair-bound for over three years. When my younger brother, Tet Yin, informed me on 19.10.2025 that Teck Fui had been admitted to the Emergency Ward of QE1, I was mentally prepared that this might be a difficult hurdle for him to overcome.

In the afternoon of 22.10.2025, all the siblings and family members gathered at the ward to see him. By then, he was unconscious and no longer able to communicate or respond. Looking at his condition, we knew this could very well be the last time we would see him before he breathed his last. About two hours after we left at around 4:30 p.m., I received news that he had passed away at 6:33 p.m.

At that moment, I was at a funeral parlour paying my last respects to another friend, Vincent Lee (Read here).

My wife and I visited him on 22.12.2024 just before Christmas.

Before Teck Fui’s passing, I had visited him a few times at his home. I recall during one of those visits, in a lighthearted conversation, he mentioned that he was ready to go at any time. I jokingly replied that in some countries, euthanasia had become legal. He immediately smiled and said that he would be happy to go that way - unfortunately, no one was willing to set up the mechanism for him to do so!

Other members of my family also made it a point to visit him at his home whenever they returned from overseas.

Serene's family paid him a visit at his house on 29.01.2025 during CNY 2025 season.

Sam and Rachel visited him on 14.03.2024.

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This is a brief "Biodata" he submitted to his class teacher in 1964, when he was in Form 1. Even at that young age, he had already chosen to call himself Elvis, a name inspired by his musical idol, Elvis Presley, who had mesmerized the world from the 1950s through the 1970s. The King of Rock and Roll clearly left a deep imprint on his heart. He loved the guitar and would spend hours strumming and singing. In school, he even formed a band with like-minded friends who shared his passion for music.

He is the guitarist at right.

Besides pop music, he devoted much of his time to serving as the choir conductor at BCCM KK in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Many choir members remembered him as a strict musician who insisted that every singer, be they in soprano, alto, tenor, and bass alike to hit and maintain the correct note.

This is an old photo of the choir presentation in the old Chapel (Read here) in Signal Hill likely in year 1970.

An old photo of the Church Choir taken in the late 1960s at the compound of old BCCM church at Signal Hill. Teck Fui is at back row 3rd from right and I am 4th from left at back row.

During Chinese festive seasons such as Chinese New Year, the Zhongzi Festival and the Winter Solstice, members of my extended family would usually gather for reunion dinners at my old family home, where my parents once lived before they passed away (Read here). My brother had been a regular attendee until 2022, when declining health and mobility issues prevented him from joining us. For Chinese New Year 2023, the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve was held at his home instead. That was the last reunion he participated in.

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Photo taken at the funeral parlour with maternal relatives and friends.

Memorial service in progress.

Many of the guests who came to the funeral parlour to pay their last respects were contractors and professionals with whom he had worked with during his career in architectural practice. He began working immediately after finishing high school in 1969, joining an architectural firm as a draftsman. Over the years, through dedication and experience, he became a de facto architect, effectively performing the role of an architect, though without the credentials to sign off as a Professional Architect.

In the course of my own professional career as a C&S Engineering Consultant, our firm collaborated with the firm where he worked on numerous projects. One notable example was the construction of the Sabah Publishing House Headquarters in Kolombong, where he served as the Architect and I as the C&S Engineer.

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Photo taken at the funeral parlour with maternal relatives and friends.

Some of the siblings, their spouses, his sons and paternal cousins taken on 27.10.2025 at the crematorium.

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My brother’s readiness to embrace death reminded me of a book I read earlier this year, written by William Wan, titled "Through the Valley". In it, the author quoted Dr. Ho Eu Chin, an ENT surgeon, who shared his thoughts on death:

If I could stop death from happening and human beings could live forever, what would that mean to my life journey? Would there be any urgency to get anything done? Why bother to complete a task today when there's always tomorrow, the day after, and after, and after, into infinity? All the goalposts in life would be expunged of any real meaning. Why complete an education and start a career in my 20s; why plan to settle down and have a family in my 30s; why aim to be at the top of my game by my 40s? 

Why would I not delay any journey for as long as possible if I had all the time in the world? Would I even want to start a journey if there was no end in sight? Why would I need to save for old age when that is something that will never ever arrive? 

Paradoxically, the profound meaning of life exists precisely because it has an end. The finite period of my time on this earth and the uncertainty of its duration are powerful driving forces for me to strive on to achieve my goals.