Father's death prompts family reunion

Father's death prompts family reunion

SINGAPORE - He had been estranged from his family for eight years.

On Friday night, Mr Jackson Quek, 40, finally had a reunion with his family.

Unfortunately, it was not under happy circumstances.

On the eighth day of the Chinese New Year celebrations, Mr Quek, who has three brothers, returned home to mourn the death of his father Albert.

Security guard Albert Quek, 74, was killed in an accident the day before while on his way home to Punggol after visiting his wife, Madam Choong Nginn Moy, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

Madam Choong, who suffers from a weak heart, is warded at the Singapore General Hospital.

The senior Mr Quek, together with his sons James and Johnson, were travelling on Seletar North Link towards Punggol Road at 9.06pm on Thursday when their car collided with a tipper truck.

Madam Angela Tay, 32, who is married to third son Jason, 35, told Lianhe Wanbao that Mr James Quek, 25, the youngest of the four sons, was behind the wheel.

Madam Tay said the senior Mr Quek was seriously injured and died on the way to hospital.

Mr James Quek was trapped in his seat and had to be extricated by civil defence personnel.

He was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital with a fractured right hand and needed stitches on his tongue.

His eldest brother, Johnson, 45, an army regular, suffered fractured ribs and spine, and is unable to move his legs.

He had a day-long operation on Friday and is in a stable condition in the intensive care unit.

Madam Tay did not say why Mr Jackson Quek was not on good terms with the family, but she did not want her estranged brother-in-law to regret not saying his final farewell to his father.

It was the youngest Quek brother who found his contact and called him.

Mr Jackson Quek turned up with his wife and three children at 11pm on Friday night to pay their last respects to the senior Mr Quek.

Madam Tay said that doctors had advised the family not to let Madam Choong know the bad news yet as she was recovering from heart surgery.

She added that before her mother-in-law went into the operating theatre on Friday, Madam Choong tried to call her husband several times on his mobile phone.

Afraid to answer, the sons had the phone switched off.

The elder Mr Quek's funeral was held on Sunday.


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