Hello Everyone,

Kok Wah would be so pleased to see all of you here today. He cherished time with his family, friends, and colleagues, always focusing on everyone’s strengths and often overlooking their weaknesses. Warm, generous, approachable, and pragmatic, this remarkable man was my lover, husband, father to our three beautiful children, doting grandfather to Su Ching and Su Wen, my business partner, and my soulmate for 57 years. His love for his family was unconditional, and he was always immensely proud of their achievements.

Someone asked me if I could summarize my life with Kok Wah, and I said it was a great adventure. I met him when I was 18 at a dear friend’s 21st birthday party. After three carefree years as university sweethearts, we married in 1970. Li Ann was born nine months later, followed by Li Lin two years later. We waited seven years for our son, JY, to complete our family. We were a busy young couple—he was determined to grow the family’s tyre business, which his father had started, often working long hours and coming home covered in tyre dust from the retread plant. I would remind him to shower before holding baby Li Ann. It was his brother-in-law, Tan Eng Soon, who encouraged him to expand the business with Japanese tyre agencies. Kok Wah's trip to Japan eventually led to securing the Falken distributorship (then known as Ohtsu).

Kok Wah was a true entrepreneur, always seizing opportunities. His mother, who was a big influence on him, often said in Teochew, "Small hands cannot grab big backside." But he kept grabbing anyway! While our young children were sometimes overlooked due to the long hours we worked, we later saw that his dedication brought lasting benefits. In the past few days, as we celebrated his life, many business associates, staff, former employees, and friends have shared how deeply Kok Wah touched and enriched their lives.

To mention just a few of these cherished friends: Raj and Goree from Mauritius; Pat Berriman and Tim Sanders from Australia; Lee Hua and Robert from Hong Kong; Khun Nonin, Khun Supredee, and Uchida-san from Thailand; Lim Chien Ann from Malaysia; Mr. Wen from China; Mr. Kim from Korea; Mr. Keo from Cambodia. Kok Wah’s first secretaries, Hanifah and Pat Danker, also became like family to us.

As his wife and the mother of our children, I tried to fill in wherever he couldn’t, handling the small family matters so he could focus on business. Together, we were a formidable team. When he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1986, he faced it head-on, undergoing surgery in the U.S. However, upon our return, our major banker withdrew support, and his friend, Kwek Leng Beng, gave us a much-needed lifeline. The warehouse fire in 1997 was another blow, but Kok Wah's determination saw the business through. Later, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, yet he remained resolute, always focused on finding solutions to both personal and professional challenges.

In his later years, Kok Wah mentored a capable management team, allowing him more time with family and friends. We went on several cruises just the two of us, and friends would joke, “Aiyoh, how can you go on a cruise with only your husband? Surely by the second day, someone will be thrown overboard!” But we truly enjoyed each other’s company deeply.

Kok Wah was a natural leader, serving as President of the St. Andrew’s School social work group in the 1960s and helping residents rebuild homes destroyed by floods in Potong Pasir. He was also an American Field Scholar and spent a year in the U.S. at 18. He was also a competitive swimmer in school and was honoured to open the swimming pool at St Andrew’s Village. Recently, when he needed a kidney transplant, we travelled the world seeking one, encountering many adventures along the way until he successfully underwent the transplant this January. Three months later, he was cleared to travel again, and he was given a hero’s welcome by the international tyre community in Bangkok during the “tyre expo”. We also visited KL, Phuket, and Penang, where he indulged in his favourite street foods, often enjoying char kway teow for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Kok Wah loved simple hawker fare over gourmet meals. Music was another passion—he enjoyed country, folk, and, after his baptism in 2019, worship and inspirational music. More recently, he even developed a taste for rock songs, especially "Twist and Shout" and CCR tunes. During dialysis, he would listen to music on his iPad and sometimes sing along, and even the nurses would join in. He loved action movies, always with the TV volume on high—I used to tell him that the neighbours knew exactly what show he was watching.

This was the man I loved deeply for almost six decades. Our life was filled with joy, love, and many challenges. During the hardest moments, I sometimes knelt and prayed, asking God to release me from this journey, but God always gave me the strength to continue. We renewed our vows last September—a beautiful and timely celebration of our love.

Each time we faced challenges in our relationship, I remembered John 13:34: “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” I will always love you, my darling Kok Wah. I was born to be your special angel, and I look forward to joining you when my chores on earth are completed.

My Pa is a man of few words, and as a committed businessman, he wasn’t very involved with his kids. But being one of a kind, the special moments we did share always bring a smile to my face and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. Here are my top 10 moments with my dad in the order I remember them:

1. Toddler Years - Walking on his back as a form of massage, until I grew too big and heavy!
2. Kindergarten - He’d tell me about the moon goddess, warning that she’d cut one’s ear if someone pointed at the moon.
3. Primary School - He once told me he was actually Matthew Tan of Matthew and the Mandarins, claiming they were the same person!
4. Primary 5 or 6 - The only punishment I remember getting from him: making me face the wall for three hours. After five minutes, he told me he was going out!
5. Early 20s - When I won my first award at the Singapore International Film Festival, my parents came as my date. It was a live telecast on MediaCorp, and a good friend recorded it. I saw my dad stand up to clap.
6. 20s - My first job was as a production assistant on *PCK*, but I was cast in a small role. My dad, despite having Bell’s palsy and a crooked smile, came to support me in the audience.
7. Wedding Years - When I was struggling with some relationships, I complained to him. He simply told me, “Parents are never wrong.” I disagreed, of course, but he wasn’t looking to argue. He just wanted to make his point clear, showing his simple principles and peaceful approach.
8. 30s - On a trip together, I was looking for sunglasses and had shortlisted a few pairs. My mum would usually give opinions, but my dad chimed in this time, picking a pair he said looked “cool” since I was a filmmaker. His relaxed suggestion was so him, gently encouraging me to be “cool.” I wish I still had those sunglasses!
9. 40s - In 2018, I made the National Day music video “We Are Singapore.” It had a lot of hits—100K of which I’m sure were from my dad, who proudly showed it to everyone he met, including strangers in a London café and on a cruise.
10. Recently - A few years back, we were in Palo Alto for his kidney and health treatments. Despite his pain from severe eczema, a broken ankle, and dialysis, he never complained. He kept asking Charles and me if we were eating well and having fun.
11. Two Weeks Ago - When my dad was getting weaker, I told him I loved him, words I hadn’t said to him in decades. He smiled at me.

I look forward to hearing your own top moments with my dad. God bless you all, and God bless my Pa—always.

Dear Boss,

I would like to thank you for raising me until now. We played golf went I was 8 or 9 years old together at SICC golf courses. I used to play red tee when you played white tee. When traveling to Hong Kong, KL, Osaka or Tokyo when I was a kid together with Mum and you, you arranged someone to accompany me. I remember I went Tokyo with Pops for the Tokyo Car Show. When I left my items that I bought at Osaka at the Tokyo Domestic Airport. He took the train to the airport and collected them while I stayed at the hotel room. When I was in the boarding school in England. You and mum visited me for a few weeks. You always find the best Chinese restaurants at Queensway in London. When I finished boarding school, I came to San Francesco or Los Angeles for your brain surgery.

After your surgery, I came back to Singapore and served NS for two years. After I finished the army, I started studying at Informatic and you helped me join your company as the admin worker. When I was 20+, Pop helped me set up a game retail shop, but it did not go well.

When we got the office branch in Miami, we experienced Hurricane Katrina in 2005. When I was graduating for my Advance Diploma, You came as the special guest speaker for all students. I felt embarrassed.

You and Mum worked so hard to get a Kidney Donor for me and we went overseas for my transplant surgery. I am going to miss you asking me to help you do the IT and Tv stuff you don't know. I am going to miss you for eating the same food you like at the same restaurant. Don't worry about mum, I will take care of her with a family. I will lose weight, refresh the driving course and I will try taking care of myself.

I know my grandpa was a wonderful man. From watching videos of his friends talking about him, reading newspaper clippings of his achievements, and seeing the number of people who have come to celebrate his life, it’s clear he was very loved.

Now, I would like to share what I loved about him.

When my dad first saw me at the moment I was born, he had two thoughts: “So much hair!” and “She looks like Kok Wah!”

Some of my earliest memories include going to West Coast Park with him, feeding ducks and swans with bread, swimming in the pool, singing ABBA songs at his birthday parties, visiting the aquarium, and going out together with Grandma to Vivo City or Tanglin Mall to eat. He would always let me choose what food I wanted, even if he didn’t enjoy it himself.

Each morning, he would wake up early—not only to blast his TV programmes across the house but also to see my sister and me off to school. Without fail, he would always ask me what I was doing that day, even when the answer was simply “school.”

I knew he cared.

He would always ask me about my tennis: “Did you play tennis today?” “Any matches?” He wanted to come and watch me play. He also liked to hear about my test scores and read my reports keenly, even when he was in the hospital. For events like school trips, he would ask about them and talk with me about the experience.

Whether we were swimming in the pool, walking outside he would always stop to chat with me - even while in online meetings or calls, he would hug me.

My grandpa was a man of few words. Although he never said it outright, I know how much he loved me. From being terrified to carry me with his uncut nails when I was a newborn, to doing his best to look at me, smile at me, and hold my hand while in the ICU, I felt his love.

While I will forever wish for one more morning greeting, one more dinner out with him, or one more chance to sing ABBA songs for him at his birthday party, I will always carry the fond memories I have of him in my heart. I will persevere, do well, and have fun, and always love God and love people—just as he would want me to.

I love you, Grandpa. Thank you for everything.

And from one of my favourite ABBA songs:

“Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing

Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing

Who could live without it? I ask in all honesty,

What would life be?

Without a song or a dance what are we?

So I say:

Thank you for the music,

For giving it to me.”

I remember when I would wake up in the morning for school and I would go to grandpa’s room to say bye. He would ask me what I was doing that day. He took me to a lot of my swimming lessons and he would help me with my swimming. I was so happy when he and grandma came with us to Bali and stayed in our villa and we had a lot of fun. I love my grandpa a lot and l will miss him. I want to live my life being a good and loving person and being close to Jesus, just as I know he would want me to do. Goodbye grandpa and enjoy heaven.

Dear friends,

Many of you know Kok Wah as one of my closest friends. What most of you might not know is that he was my best man at my wedding in 1969. We shared a lifelong bond, journeying through much of life together. Though Betty and I spent many years living in the U.S., each year when we returned to Singapore, Kok Wah and Dawn would organize a few gatherings to help us reconnect with friends here. They were always a generous couple, and you can see from the crowd here tonight just how many lives they have touched. While I won't repeat the wonderful things others have said about Kok Wah, I wholeheartedly agree—he was an exceptional man who embraced life and lived it fully.

I first met Kok Wah around 1964, around the time I was doing my A-levels. We dated, attended parties, and eventually married and started families at similar times. Our families even took vacations together, and we used to joke that JY might have been conceived on one of those trips! Looking through the photos on the wall, we laughed about how much thinner we all were back then. We shared many happy memories, and Dawn was always the organizer. I remember when both Dawn and Betty were pregnant with their first child and suddenly had a craving for durians. Kok Wah and I were tasked with finding some. We returned with just one small durian, and both of us got a good scolding—neither Dawn nor Betty ever let us forget it!

I also remember visiting the tyre retreading plant that Kok Wah's father had started. It was a noisy, steamy factory in Kallang. When Kok Wah took over after his father passed, he dedicated himself to growing it into what Stamford Tyres is today—a global tyre wholesaler with warehouses worldwide and a wheel manufacturing unit in Thailand. He and Dawn later listed the company on the stock exchange, and I'm sure Stamford Tyres will continue to flourish.

When we met up, Kok Wah and I would often discuss business, as it was his passion. He was a natural entrepreneur, willing to take risks and excited by new opportunities. We also enjoyed playing poker together. We began in university and continued with yearly poker games hosted by Dawn and Kok Wah during Chinese New Year. Winning or losing didn't matter—it was all about having fun together.

We have many fond memories of Ewart Park. Dawn reminded me of how we helped them buy their home there. Betty and I were also searching, and we'd all drive around looking at properties. I remember Kok Wah considering a property on Denham Close in Bukit Timah—double the land size of Ewart, with a large colonial house, separate quarters, and expansive gardens. In the end, they decided on Ewart. Since most of Kok Wah's funds were invested in Stamford, we had long talks about whether to invest in the business or in property. Over the years, both have done well.

There are too many stories to tell and not enough time. But in our hearts, we know the depth of our friendship. When *The Straits Times* called me for an interview, they asked if Kok Wah was my best friend. I can't speak for Kok Wah, but as I thought about it these past few days, I realized that I can't think of anyone who has been closer to me over the last 60 years. He was indeed my best friend.

On behalf of all his good friends here—goodbye, Kok Wah. We will all miss you.

Good evening everybody,

I met Kok Wah in 1983 and we have known each other now for 41 years. I was only 25 years old when I met him. I had just started in business and did not know much. Kok Wah took me under his wing and changed my life and that of my family forever. He taught me business but mostly he taught me life. He was my Mentor, my Guru, my elder brother, my friend, my silent rock. The sadness of his passing is overwhelming. I wake up at night and tears just roll down.

He was one of the finest brains I have ever come across in my life but above all that one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen. He was a business tycoon but his simplicity, humility and kind heart made him the exceptional person he was. Words will never be enough for me to express what kind of person he were. We are lucky to have come across someone like you in our lives.

You leave a big void behind but like I always say – all we have in this life is our moments. Everything else we leave behind. I will forever cherish all those moments we spent together. The family gatherings, the birthdays we celebrated together with the family.Those moments are forever engraved in my heart. Thank you for having crossed my path when I was 25 years old. Thank you for everything you have done for me. And just thank you for having been the person you are.

You are not gone. You are immortal. Your legacy will live on.

I will forever miss you. Rest in peace my brother till we meet again, god bless and the show goes on. God bless my time here is done.