Retiree, 85, leads solitary life in rental flat after death of wheelchair-bound wife

Diabetes and poor health did not stop retiree Fong Ah Choy.

Rain or shine, the 85-year-old would push his wheelchair-bound wife Chua Soay, 81, for fresh air outside their Ang Mo Kio rental flat.

Last Monday, the couple headed to a temple at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 where there was free food for the elderly. Sadly, that was Madam Chua's last outing.

"When we reached the temple, volunteers said she felt cold. Suddenly she fainted," Mr Fong recalled in a mix of Hokkien and Malay.

"They sent her to hospital and she died there."

The couple of 22 years have no children.

Madam Chua was cremated last Wednesday, with just her heartbroken husband witnessing the last rites.

Inseparable in life, he now lives at home alone, sleeping or sitting in her favourite black chair.

Undertaker Roland Tay took care of the funeral for free after he heard about it.

"They have no one else," he said. "Uncle can't walk much, so he won't be there when Auntie's ashes are scattered at sea. It's very sad."

Mr Fong, who is blind in his left eye, said he met Madam Chua "in hospital, when she was warded for mumps and I was working there (repairing pipes)".

They fell in love. A framed photo of the couple, the only one in Mr Fong's possession, sits on the dresser next to his bed.

She had children from a previous marriage but "what's past is past", he said. Then he fell silent and gazed into the distance.

Madam Chua, a permanent resident from Malaysia, suffered from high blood pressure and cancer, he added.

A neighbour on the same floor, who wanted to be known as Ms Lizah, said Madam Chua was initially mobile, but became wheelchair-bound more than 10 years ago.

Ms Lizah said: "Auntie didn't like to stay indoors. She would scream and cry to go out.

"But she couldn't walk and sometimes ended up crawling on the floor. It was a very pitiful sight."

Madam Chua also urinated and passed motion in public, straining neighbourly ties, but Mr Fong would jump to her defence when people complained.

The couple had a habit of leaving their flat for a few days on end, sleeping at void decks at night and returning home for a shower.

With his wife's death, Mr Fong now refuses to venture outdoors. "My legs hurt," he said, gesturing to a plaster on his left knee. The skin was blistered and black patches spread from his calves to his feet.

A well-wisher from a nearby block sends over cooked vegetables daily and grassroots helpers also deliver food items occasionally.

Other than that, Mr Fong maintains a solitary existence - surrounded by piles of plastic bags strewn around the flat.

Those filled with his wife's clothes are off limits to strangers. Other bags contained empty drink cans, a sign of the diabetic widower's sweet tooth. Mr Fong has no television set and is adamant he is better off without one.

"Having a TV will cause the electricity bill to go up," he said.

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