Former stenographer dies aged 102, previously provided transcription services for Lee Kuan Yew

A former stenographer who provided transcription services for Singapore's founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, has died at the age of 102.

Stenography is a career that involves recording verbatim speech into written text at high speeds using a specialised machine's keyboard.

Stenographers often work in courtrooms and in the government.

Xu Tianxi (transliteration) died peacefully at home on Nov. 10 at 11:39pm, reported Shin Min Daily News.

After Xu retired at the age of 55, he took over a five-acre farm left by his grandfather and planted durians, bananas and other crops in Punggol for about 15 years.

Died shortly after hospital discharge

His third son, Xu Dashun (transliteration), 67, who is self-employed, told Shin Min that his father was affected by the recent haze and experienced symptoms such as a runny nose and watery eyes.

The centenarian was sent to Sengkang General Hospital for treatment. His condition stabilised, and he was subsequently discharged after around seven days.

Shortly after returning home, the family's domestic worker called to say that the elder Xu was breathing rapidly.

His son rushed home and called an ambulance, but just as the ambulance arrived at their doorstep, Xu closed his eyes for the final time.

"My father was a generous man. During the harvest season, he would always give away the durians and bananas he grew to his neighbours and relatives for free instead of selling them," his son recounted.

Their farmland was expropriated by the government when Xu was around 70 years old, and the family moved into a public housing estate, reported Shin Min.

Remained active till his 70s

Xu remained active and energetic well into his 70s, frequently taking the bus to Bukit Timah alone to hike once a month.

However, when Xu was in his 80s, he fell and developed a fear of walking, causing a gradual decrease in his activity levels, which led to muscle atrophy.

Shin Min reported that in the last five or six years of his life, Xu relied on a wheelchair.