Simei newspaper vendor dies at 101, raised 8 children & saved S$40,000 for son's overseas studies

Lin Ting Dao (transliteration) passed away peacefully at home on Oct. 16, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Through decades of hard work and frugality, he managed to raise eight children and even sent his youngest son to study overseas.

Built kampung houses before becoming newspaper vendor

Lin moved to Singapore from Puning, Guangdong province, China, with his parents when he was a teenager.

He later married Wang Xiang Qing (transliteration), now 91, and the couple had eight children: two sons and six daughters.

According to his youngest son, Lin Gui Cheng (transliteration), 55, his father worked as a construction apprentice in his younger years.

After learning the trade, the older Lin earned a living building wooden, stilt and attap houses for kampung residents, supporting his family of 10.

As the government began building HDB flats, demand for traditional houses gradually declined, prompting Lim to switch careers and become a newspaper vendor past his middle age.

Around 1987, he started selling newspapers at the foot of Block 130 Simei Street 1, where he ran his stall for more than a decade.

Besides selling newspapers, Lim also collected cardboard.

He was a familiar face to residents in the neighbourhood.

Family took turns running newspaper stall

Gui Cheng said he used to help his father sell newspapers at the stall every day after his classes at polytechnic.

The experience left him with many fond memories and gave him precious time with his parents.

He recalled to Shin Min,

"My mother would prepare dinner early, and my father would head downstairs to set up the stall after eating. Once my mother finished cleaning up, she would head down. When I returned from school, I would take over so they could rest or use the toilet."

Lim stopped selling newspapers around the year 2000.

Saved S$40,000 for son's overseas education

Despite being unable to read or write, Lim placed great importance on his children's education.

He would personally take them to and fro school on his bicycle.

Through hard work and frugal living, he managed to put both his sons through university.

When Gui Cheng was preparing to study in the UK, Lim gave him S$40,000 to support his education.

"My father was very thrifty. When he gave me S$40,000 to study in the UK, I told myself that failure was not an option," Gui Cheng said.

Remembered for his perseverance

Lim's funeral procession will take place on the afternoon of Oct. 22.

Gui Cheng said his father left behind not just memories, but also a spirit worth passing down to future generations.

"We will carry forward and pass down our father's spirit of hard work and perseverance," he told Shin Min.