Sengkang 'Yakult Auntie', 70, who died in alleged assault, delayed retirement to keep active & connect with customers

The 70-year-old "Yakult auntie", who died following an alleged assault in Sengkang, delayed her retirement to keep active and connect with her customers, according to her eldest son.

Following Jasmine Au's passing, some of her customers also turned up for her wake or left encouraging messages for her on social media.

Widowed at 33, took on 3 jobs to support children

Speaking to Mothership, her eldest son said Au always dreamt of becoming a teacher, and also completed her A-Levels, which qualified her to do so at that time.

However, after her husband passed away due to cancer in 1987, Au, then-33, gave up on her teaching dreams.

Instead, she took on odd jobs to support her three children, who were aged under one, four, and six at that time.

She would sew and tailor clothes, and also worked as a cleaner.

Once, Au agreed to clean a tutor's house in exchange for her giving tuition to Au's children.

Au's son recalled seeing his mother cleaning the house next to them in the middle of a tuition lesson.

"The tutor would tell us, 'Look, your mum is doing this for you, so you better study hard'", he said, choking up slightly.

Worked for Yakult for 33 years

In 1991, Au also took on the Yakult-selling job, after being introduced by another promoter who was retiring.

She hoped that the probiotic drink could protect her children and customers from the cancer that had claimed her husband's life.

Au would finish her sewing in the morning, go out for ad-hoc cleaning jobs in the afternoon, and in the evening, deliver packets of Yakult on a bicycle to around 20 blocks in Yishun.

She would typically start around 7pm, when customers were home, and return home at around 10pm or 11pm.

At the time, she made about 40 to 50 cents for each pack of Yakult delivered.

After the family moved to Sengkang in 2007, Au continued working for Yakult and took on new customers.

Despite the hardship of those early years, Au's son recalled that his mother was always smiling and cheerful.

"She's someone who learned to take hardship and proved to us that as long as you are willing to bite the bullet, things will get better," he said.

Delayed retirement to keep active

Au's efforts paid off when her children grew up, started working and got married.

She also became a grandmother with four grandchildren.

Around eight years ago, Au's children urged her to consider retirement as they could support her financially, but she insisted on keeping the Yakult job as she wanted to stay active.

"At least she could still mix around and do what she liked, having conversations and getting connected to people", Au's son said.

So Au continued working four days a week for Yakult, from Mondays to Thursdays.

Even at 70, Au was committed to her job, her son said.

If she did go overseas, she would not go for more than a week, to minimise disruptions.

Before leaving, Au would tell her customers in advance of her travel plans and make arrangements for them to take an extra week's worth of Yakult.

She would also share her travel stories to customers once she returned.

Au's son said they planned to bring her on a Europe trip after she retired, but it was not to be.

Took her off life support to respect her wishes

On Oct. 29, it was one of Au's customers who found her after the alleged assault at Block 272B Sengkang Central and conveyed the news to his family, her son said.

Au later slipped into a coma in hospital with significant bleeding in her brain.

With her condition deteriorating further, Au's son recalled his mother's wish not to prolong her suffering if she were ever to be paralysed or in a vegetative state.

So, after giving time for family members to say their goodbyes, the decision was made to take her off life support at 5pm on Nov. 6.

Remembered by customers

After Au's passing was made known publicly, some customers shared their condolences on Facebook, along with stories of how she had brightened up their lives.

One customer wrote that Au saw his daughter from her birth to Primary 1, and her first cash purchase was buying Yakult from Au.

Some of her regular customers also came for her wake, Au's son said.

"They were very upset and shocked at what happened. Most of them condemned what happened to my mum and a lot of them shared with us how they connected with her, and the joy they shared... I think maybe that's the motivation she got from her job. That's why she kept on delaying her retirement."

He also thanked the users on social media who left touching messages for his mother.

"I didn't know that she was so welcomed and loved by so many people," he added.

Family seeking justice for her

Au's family believes that she was a victim of a vicious assault, and are continuing to seek justice for her.

"My mum was only 70, and based on her health, she could have easily lived till 80 or 90. That was the golden time where she's supposed to enjoy her life and it was just taken away from her," Au's son said.

He added that a "strong message must be sent" for the safety of other delivery personnel.

Yakult statement

In response to Mothership's queries, a Yakult Singapore spokesperson said the company is deeply saddened to learn about the passing of one of their independent distributors as a result of injuries sustained during a criminal attack.

"Every Yakult Lady is part of the Yakult family. We have been in close contact with the victim to offer our support during this difficult time and our thoughts and prayers are with them", the spokesperson added.

Man charged in court

A 30-year-old Singaporean man, Lim Chuan Xun, has been charged over the incident.

He is being charged with allegedly voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Au by punching her on the right side of her face.

Another charge under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) alleged that Lim had hurled vulgarities at Au while they were on the ninth floor of Block 272B Sengkang Central.

Au's family members said Lim claimed that "he didn't touch her" and insisted that it was "just a punch".

In addition, Lim faces another four charges that appear unrelated to the incident.

The charges pertain to other crimes he had allegedly committed in the vicinity of the same block since May 2023.

Lim's case is scheduled to be heard again on Nov. 22.

If convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Lim faces an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and will also be liable to a fine or caning.

Related articles

Top image from Au's son & Elmie Nekmat/Facebook