A Tribute to My Parents

Wednesday, 17th December 2025

My dad went back home to be with the Lord on 2 July 2025.  Since then, we have been clearing out stuff that the Loh family has accumulated over the past 47 years, in anticipation of moving out in the not too distant future (we moved into this current house in May 1978).

One of my main observations was that my mom's belongings remained very much where they were, even though she returned to the Lord back on 23 June 2012, 13 full years ago.  Her wardrobe was still full of her clothes, her shoes remained in the cabinets, her aprons, mittens and crockery in the kitchen, etc etc.  Dad had not give us any instructions on what to do with them, so we left them untouched.  It was his way of wanting to preserve her memory as his precious wife, mother of his children and grandmother of his grandchildren.

I recall that when he was still mobile, he would make a weekly trip to All-Saints Memorial Chapel in Kovan on his day off to visit her urn.

Mom and dad were an exemplary married couple. I seriously do not remember them quarrelling even once.  There were maybe 2 or 3 occasions when they verbally "disagreed" (like that time when dad was in the midst of administering the rod of discipline upon me for being a naughty teenager, and mom would plead with him, "Mike, please STOP!").

from L to R: dad's maternal grandparents, dad, mom, his parents

They tied the knot on 11 May 1963 when he was 28 and she was 26. They had 49 wonderful years of matrimony, all the way until 2012.

They were just 10½ months short of celebrating their Golden Anniversary :-(

Back to the topic of clearing out stuff.  In the 1950s and 1960s, there were no mobile phones with camera functions, so the way for courting couples to communicate was by writing letters and/or exchanging photographs.

I have chanced across many of my parents' individual snapshots, which give a glimpse into their blossoming romance.  They would also typically write short lovey-dovey notes at the back of those photos.

Here are some samples which I have uploaded onto my blog for posterity's sake :-)

(1) Rico Suave:

(2) The Masked Marvel:

(3) The Pouty Princess:

(4) I Adore Mi Amor:

(5) The Bookworm:

Dad also kept a handful of mom's photos in an envelope. These were probably the more treasured and cherished ones which he would take out to admire ever so often when he was wooing her.