S'pore ex-carpenter who regularly exercised & kept to a light diet even after turning 100, dies at 111

Zheng Zhenhuang (transliteration), a former carpenter in Singapore, passed away peacefully at the age of 111 on Dec. 11.

According to Shin Min Daily News, his funeral was held four days later on Dec. 15.

Passed away surrounded by his children and grandchildren

Shin Min reported that Zheng had been admitted to the hospital a week before his death after experiencing difficulty swallowing, which subsequently led to pneumonia and excess fluid in his lungs.

Though his condition deteriorated gradually, he remained lucid and passed away surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

“My father lived a fulfilling life; he suffered no pain until his very last moment and left peacefully,” said Zheng's eldest son, 76-year-old Zheng Zuyan (transliteration).

According to his obituary published in Obits.sg, Zheng leaves behind 16 family members.

This includes three children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Born in China

In an interview with Shin Min, Zuyan shared that his father was born in Qionghai in Hainan, China, in 1915.

At the age of 18, the supercentenarian married Chen Jinghua (transliteration).

Two years later, he moved to Southeast Asia alone in search of work.

He first settled in Johor, Malaysia, where he worked at a herbal medicine shop and a plywood factory.

13 years later, after World War II ended and the situation stabilised, Zheng returned to Hainan to visit his family.

His eldest son was born the following year.

In 1955, Zheng brought his wife and son to Malaysia before later relocating to Singapore, where his twins, Zheng Zuxuan and Zheng Zuxi (transliteration), now 69, were born.

The family initially lived in a kampung in Eunos, before moving to a flat in Bedok in 1979.

Lived an active life even after retirement

Zuyan revealed that his father worked as a carpenter until he was about 70, but continued to lead an active life long after his retirement.

He was a long-standing member of the Singapore Qionghai Association, serving as its executive secretary and stepping down only after he turned 80.

In a Facebook post, the association described him as its oldest member and one of the founders of the Qiongle Association, its predecessor.

Even after stepping down, Zheng would exercise regularly and meet up with his friends almost daily.

In his nineties, he still cycled around his neighbourhood and travelled back to his ancestral home in China to pay respects to his ancestors.

After turning 100, he continued to walk for about 400 metres every day, and was able to take care of himself until as recently as two years ago.

"My father exercised regularly and maintained a light diet," Zuyan shared. "He avoided meat, as well as oily and fried foods. He didn't have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high blood sugar."

"His health reports were even better than mine."

In July, family and friends also gathered to celebrate his birthday.

Many of his friends passed away

As Zheng aged, many of his longtime friends passed away.

By the time he was 96, the last of his old companions had died, leaving him feeling lost and lonely.

However, he later found a new circle of friends with the help of Zuyan.

"One day, I happened to pass by the National Library when I heard a group of people speaking in Hainanese," Zuyan recalled.

Curious, he approached them and learned that they were a group of Hainanese men in their sixties to eighties, including retired engineers, school principals, journalists, and businessmen.

The group would meet every week to drink tea and chat for several hours.

Father's silent love

Zuyan also shared a memory from his youth.

When he was younger, an older male neighbour would often encourage him to study hard and be filial to his parents whenever he saw him, Zuyan recalled.

He would also smile and nod at him, which left Zuyan feeling puzzled for a long time.

"He would always praise my father for being hardworking, and repeatedly tell me to study hard and take good care of my father in the future," he said, adding that he could not understand what his neighbour meant at the time.

Years later, Zuyan learned that his father had borrowed money from that neighbour to pay for his university tuition.

With tears welling in his eyes, he said it was only then that he realised this was his father’s quiet expression of love, adding that he was deeply moved and grateful.

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News