A 79-year-old woman was found dead in her flat in Pasir Ris on May 30.

Her passing was reported by Shin Min Daily News, which found out that the deceased had left all of her assets to the Community Chest to help those in need posthumously.

The late woman's deeds in life and in death were revealed after the Chinese media interviewed her employer.

The deceased, identified as Tang Rongxuan (transliteration), was a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner who attended to patients at Tong An Tang TCM Clinic in Choa Chu Kang.

Tang had been practising TCM for more than 30 years before her passing.

Went on leave but became uncontactable

According to Shin Min, Tang went on leave on Thursday, May 23, but was uncontactable after that, her employer revealed.

The employer was the one who initially sensed something amiss, as Tang was never uncontactable.

The late woman apparently had a headache before going on her break but failed to show up for work on a Sunday, as scheduled.

So, the employer headed to Tang's flat at Block 418 Pasir Ris Avenue 6, only to find that there was no response.

Sensing something wrong, and with the help of a neighbour, they contacted the police, who later informed them about the discovery of Tang's body inside.

The police told Shin Min that they received a call for assistance on May 30 at around 1:20pm.

A woman was found inside her flat and they do not suspect foul play.

The police are investigating.

Model doctor

According to the employer, Tang was a model doctor who had worked for more than a decade at the TCM clinic.

The employer said the late TCM practitioner had excellent work ethic and treated patients well, and she specialised in attending to those with stomach and spleen issues, as well as skin conditions.

Not only did Tang receive good reviews and got to work on time, her patients apparently swore by her care and methods, so much so they followed her to wherever she ended up working to be treated by her.

One such patient, who was treated for eczema, followed Tang to whichever clinic she operated in.

Even though getting around was challenging, as Tang lived in Pasir Ris and had to travel to Choa Chu Kang for work, she loved her job so much she turned down an offer at another TCM clinic that was closer to her home.

Donated assets to charity

Tang did not seek out creature comforts and was a vegetarian who gave herself constantly to helping patients, her employer revealed.

The employer said: "She said if she had to live her life all over again, she would still be a TCM practitioner to help those in need, which touched me."

The employer added that in death, she was still of help to others.

This was so because she made a will and pledged her estate to charity, with the donation to help those in need.

Before her passing, Tang spoke about giving away her assets to the Community Chest, Shin Min reported.

Before Tang's passing, her husband passed away just two months before her.

According to a neighbour, his death affected Tang greatly.

The couple were childless.

The poignant end to her life and career also coincided in a way: Since the TCM practitioner licence needs to be renewed every two years, Tang's licence was going to expire on Jun. 30.

Her employer said: "She has been studying medicine all her life. Her career, like her life, came to an end at the same time."

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News & Google Maps