With Deepest Condolences...

MR. GAN BOON PENG

6th April 1944 - 19th May 2008

Missed Dearly by Family Members & Friends

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This column is dedicated to a dear and wonderful friend of mine, Uncle BP Gan (whom I so fondly addressed as so) who just recently passed away from a heart attack whilst in China enjoying what he loves the most - touring.

The news of his passing came as a shocker to me when I received an sms from another close friend Nancy last Sunday. His youngest daughter had to arrange for her dad's body to be flown back here to Malaysia for his final rites and farewells.

His wake was held for the past two days at Nirvana and was just cremated this morning at PJCC, with his friends and family accompanying him on his last leg of his journey...

I said my good-byes to him last night when I went to pay my last respects... It was just like only yesterday when a whole bus load of people went up to Haadyai; Uncle Gan and all. He was the life of the crowd entertaining us with his jokes and karaoke renditions of Elvis's Wooden Heart, Cliff Richard's Bachelor Boy and Bertie Higgins's Casablanca. He didn't have a care in the world to what people thought of his off key singing and his wise cracks. All he knew is that he was having fun and his audience was entertained.

"Kai Lui" (god-daughter) as I was called by him and introduced jokingly to his friends was the time where I had just gotten to know him in dance class as well as socially. He would wear loose slip on shoes and sometimes end up loosing then during dancing. All of us would break down and laugh till our sides and cheeks ached. There even was a time when he did a flick and his shoe flew! Nancy and I decided to have a round of soccer passing the shoe around as he put up a chase!!

There are so many wonderful memories I had with Uncle Gan I will never forget...From Cameron Highlands and strip poker to the weekly supply of bananas, papayas and other fruits one could think of. Uncle Gan always had a steady supply of food in his trusty shopping bag and jokes up his sleeve for his friends all the time.

The 573 pictures in his album that were shown via slides, was compiled by his youngest daughter flashed across the screen during his wake showed how well travelled Uncle Gan had been. From the Middle East to Asia to Europe, Uncle Gan had been to so many places with all his friends who had accompanied him on his tours. There wasn't a picture that didn't show him in a funny pose enjoying himself... even in the pictures of his youngest daughter's wedding.

I really wish that Uncle Gan would have been able to spend more time here with us.. as like what Nancy said, "Why did you have to leave so early? You could have stayed and had many more wonderful times together".

Rest assured Uncle Gan is now in a better place making other people happy with his wonderful and unique character. I will miss you loads for sure, but I know someday, sometime, somehow, somewhere we will definately meet up and I can be your "kai lui" again....