Goh Gwek Eng, McDonald's oldest employee, has passed away on January 22, 2018 at the age of 90.

Before succumbing to stomach cancer, Goh worked for McDonald's for close to 20 years at the old Bedok Interchange and Bedok Mall outlets.

She was 70 when she started

The McDonald's job she has left behind was her first job in decades.

Her previous job was during the 1950s to early 1960s, when she worked as a helper at a British camp for soldiers. To her grandchildren's knowledge, she remained a housewife for the most part of her life.

While most people would want to stop working by the time they are 70, it was at this age that Goh decided to go back to work.

The reason she cited? Boredom.

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By the time she hit 70, most of her children and grandchildren were either working, or have their own families. Going to work, in her view, was a perfect opportunity for her to socialise with others.

Tan Pok Yong, Goh's son, said:

"We wanted her to stay at home and enjoy life at first, but she said she was bored at home and could talk to other grandmas at McDonald's."

Apart from curbing boredom, the job would also allow her to remain independent, a value that she greatly treasured.

Age was not a barrier

Given Singapore's ageing population, much has been done in order to engage seniors and support the employment of older workers insofar as they are willing and able to.

McDonald's is known for employing seniors, and first started hiring retirees back in the 1980s. Today, many other restaurants are known to hire mature workers.

Goh was one of the seniors that constituted McDonald's brigade of silver-haired workers in the 1990s.

In 1998, one of her granddaughters found her a job at the old Bedok Interchange McDonald's outlet, a mere 20 minutes' walk from her home. The outlet closed in August 2016.

While Goh quickly picked up the skills needed to prepare the items on the menu, the most daunting task to her was frying fries. Standing in front of the fryer was sweltering work.

When she did face certain challenges in terms of speed and strength, however, in an interview with The Straits Times two years ago, she said that she found herself supported by her younger colleagues:

"My colleagues help me when they see me carrying heavy things or when I can't keep up with orders."

She said back then in 2016 that she intended to keep working for as long as she was healthy.

As her health deteriorated, however, she was allowed to have a more flexible working schedule, which saw her move from a five-day work week to short three-hour blocs during the weekends.

Goh was forced to stop work in October 2017 after falling ill.

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