Social worker Teresa Hsu dies at age 113 - Channel NewsAsia
extracted from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1171131/1/.html
By Lin Yanqin | Posted: 13 December 2011 2136 hrs
SINGAPORE : Singapore's oldest person and social worker, Teresa Hsu, has died at the age of 113.
She passed away peacefully at home on December 7 and was cremated the same day.
Ms Hsu was born in China in 1898 and came to Singapore in 1961.
She spent her life helping the poor and needy, and continued doing so even after her 110th birthday.
She founded Heart to Heart Service and the Home for the Aged Sick, and her commitment to charity earned her the Public Star in 2009.
Ms Hsu was known for her unassuming manner and shunned the public eye - up until her death.
According to the Heart to Heart Service website, she had asked that no media announcement be made.
She had also requested that no rituals or ceremonies be performed, to avoid "disturbance and inconvenience" to others.
She further instructed that no claim be made on her ashes, according to a notice posted by Sharana Rao, who ran the organisation with her.
Ang Bee Lian, CEO of the National Council of Social Service, said: "She was more than legendary. Her exemplary care, concern and giving spirit have left a growing imprint in social service.
"She showed through action what is possible, what is courageous and what is service to the needy."
Mr Wee Lin, who volunteered with the Society for the Aged Sick in the 1980s before he founded Sunlove Home for the intellectually-disabled, describes Ms Hsu as a "pioneer".
He said: "To go on that long a period, you must have the sincerity and the perseverance. The best service you can do for others is to set a good example, and in a way, she has been a good example...that she has persevered to the end, helping the needy."
- CNA/ms
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