Celebrating our Father’s life.

Eulogy for Mr Law Gart Huan delivered on Friday 12 November at 9pm

To know our Father – we need to know the many roles he played in the course of his 80 years of life. He was a son; an eldest brother to his siblings; a husband and soul mate to our mother for close to 60 years, a father to us and of course the proudest role of all – he was a grandfather to10 grand-kids he adored very much.

And to many of his friends and associates, he was a good and dependable buddy.

Father came to Singapore in 1936 with both our grandparents and an elder aunt. The journey from Yongchun, Fujian took 40 days by boat.

Father grew up in the old kampong of Geylang Lorongs 25 and 27. He helped our grandfather at his textile stall in the market along Lorong 25. It was also at this market that he met our Mother who was helping her father at their vegetable stall.

Father worked in various jobs including as a bus conductor for the Hock Lee Bus Company and as an insurance agent for the Singapore Insurance Company. Eventually, he was to found the Geylang Villagers Association and dedicated almost 42 years of his long life, first as its Secretary and thereafter as its Executive Advisor.

Though Father had only 6 years of primary education in China – he self studied and learnt enough of the Chinese language to undertake his role at the Association with distinction. What Father lacked in formal education, he more than made up for by an extra-ordinary sense of curiosity and a high level of keenness to learn.

Growing up, we often marveled at his strong Chinese language skills – he was able to produce commemorate magazines for the association and various other community organizations – even writing the speeches for MPs and Ministers included in these publications.

Father always had a soft spot for the underprivileged and needy. Up until early this year, he was still administering the bursaries and study awards given by the Association to its needy members.

Many of his best friendships were formed at the Association. Many of his close associates are also amongst us today.

Father was a very filial son. When our grandfather needed special care – Father ensured that he was placed at a nursing home near to our own residence. He would make daily trips to visit our grandfather with his favorite snack of 2 xao mai. He continued with the visits even though grandfather was afflicted with Alzheimer’s and could not recognize him.

To his siblings, Father was a dependable eldest brother – his care for them saw him helping them – and many times – even their own children with problems as varied as discipline, school placements, house applications amongst others.

It was through these episodes with our paternal and maternal grandparents and his relatives that we saw the responsible and selfless side of our Father. Though he had a quick temper, he was a man with a very big heart.

Our parents were married for close to 60 years. Theirs was a marriage of love – a rarity in those days. Though he was not financially well to do, he made sure that Mum was not deprived of the pleasures of travel – both of them did so quite extensively – to mainly Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Japan. He also ensure that we were able to enjoy the simple joys in our daily lives – the brood of 6 children – were given treats of outings and eating whenever Father could afford and managed to find the means to transport us around.

For each of his children – Father made sure he helped when we were setting up home – with money to buy appliances or even the renovations. His love for us comes through the many anecdotes of what he did for us.

I had just been enlisted when my A levels results were released. Outram Secondary School was then located on York Hill – a very steep ascent. When I reached the school to collect my results, I was told that my Dad had collected on my behalf – in his bicycle !

He also carried Lay Geok into school to prevent her shoes from getting wet on rainy days. Both Geok and I still reminisced the days when he would carry us on his bicycle to our school located just next to our home at Mattar Road every morning.

When Hock started his printing business, Father was his top salesman – going all over town to gather business for him from various clan associations and temples etc. He also did the same for Huat when he ventured into the aluminum business.

When Khiam got married and was renovating his new matrimonial home, Father was the site supervisor – helping to ensure that the contractor carried out his work properly.

Khiam told me of an episode when Father climbed into the Mattar School to fetch water for the family to use when our supply was disrupted. This was the extent of his love for us – all expressed in action. When his teacher in school punished Beng with a chalk stuffed into his mouth – Father went to the school and questioned the teacher on his method of disciplining Beng.

Father was always respectful of people from all walks. This we witnessed often at eating places where he would help dish collectors clear the tables when we ate coffee shops or hawker centers.

Father lived his life with zest and a passion.

He was an active man – up until the last two months of his life. Every morning, he would do his set of simple stretching exercises at home. Make his regular trips to the Geylang Villagers Association for his weekly mahjong sessions and meetings to organize events or to do their accounts. He loved his food – he would venture to many nice and wayward eateries to try out new menus of restaurants etc both with his mahjong buddies and with us too.

His favourite past time was walking and doing marketing – he would take the bus to Bedok Central to buy lottery or have his favourite Yong Tau Hu. At home, he would make multiple trips to the market to run simple errands.

His most boundless love was however reserved for his 10 grand children. Each year, he would present them with Hong Baos when he celebrated his birthday. He stopped smoking after Angelina told him as a toddler that ‘Ah-Gong, the cigarette smelt bad’. That was more than 25 years ago.

Father enjoyed most doing things for the kids. As they grew up, he became interested in how they were doing at their jobs or studies. He would telephone Larry to ask how he was coping with his studies or how he did for his exams as he would ask me about Min Jun’s schoolwork.

When Andy was enrolled for Primary One and had to move home to start school, he wept.

Father’s encounter with Buddhism was through a health scare. He was scheduled for an operation to correct a compressed nerve on his back. While in hospital, Geok advised him to try chanting as she could see that he was worried about the surgery.

He was later to relate to us how he sneaked to the stair landing of SGH to chant to avoid bothering the other patients. When doctors told him that he no longer required surgery the following Monday, he saw actual proof of his practice of chanting Nam-Myo-Ho-Renge-Kyo (NMHRGK)

When I was unemployed for a short period of time, I once went home to find Father in the study chanting with Mum into the wee hours of the night. It did not take me long to be gainfully re-employed.

His was a pure faith from the heart.

He told me that chanting calmed him and helped him deal with the grief of losing Hock. Though he was not expressive of his practice, he kept his belief firmly in mind. Three days before he passed on, Huat saw him sitting in the ward with his beads in hand – despite his breathlessness, Father knew he had to keep rhythm with the Mystic Law. He experienced once again actual proof when our prayers for him to have no pain, high comfort and good appetite were also answered.

He passed on peacefully at the age of 80 with the resounding rhythm of NMHRGK at the background. Our final prayer for him to attain Buddhahood was also realized.

The President of Sokka Gakkai International, Daisaku Ikeda said – “Our lives are ruled by impermanence. But simply realizing that changes nothing. There is no value in bleak pessimism. The challenge is how to create something of enduring value within the context of our impermanent lives. The Lotus Sutra teaches us to do this.”

As we feel the loss of Father, we are comforted by the many fond memories of him with us. Most important of all, he will continue live through us - his children and his grandchildren. His life of love, compassion and filial piety is the most enduring legacy for us to live by.

President Ikeda further added - ‘we do not die for nothing; we die to start a new life. The fundamental purpose of death, then is birth – to allow us to start afresh in the next phase of our eternal life cycle.’ This is our firm conviction that Father has definitely started on a more glorious new mission dedicated to the lives of others based on the mystic law of NMHRGK.

Bernard C G Law