Jamus Lim honours his late mother-in-law, who passed away at 73

SINGAPORE: In Singapore news today, Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Jamus Lim posted a tribute on social media to his mother-in-law, who passed away on March 4, 2024, at 73.

Assoc Prof Lim added a link to an obituary written by his wife, the Chilean-American writer Eneida Patricia Alcalde, published on March 5 in Lebanon Daily News, a local newspaper based in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

“No matter how many funerals and wakes you attend, one never quite gets used to it. Each is heartrending in its own way,” wrote Assoc Prof Lim on March 17 (Sunday), adding, “Sometimes, it’s a beloved grandparent, who lived a long and fulfilled life, but was forced into a prolonged battle with a painful illness at the end.

And sometimes, it’s a family member.”

He wrote about his mother-in-law, Ms Eneida “Tati” Maria Dianderas:

“She had lived a rich and eventful life, and was a beloved mother, wife, and teacher. As a bilingual studies teacher, she touched the lives of hundreds of young children, many of whom grew up in immigrant households of modest means.”

The Sengkang GRC MP added that Ms Dianderas “became a pillar in the community” and taught in every elementary school in the town where she lived.

On a personal level, he wrote, “She also raised two children—one of whom would become very special to me,” noting that his mother-in-law often had little help raising her children because his wife’s father had been a truck diver who “had to be away for days at a time.”

Assoc Prof Lim added that a memorial for Ms Dianderas was held at her home, “where her closest family and friends shared memories of who she was and the legacy she left behind.”

Noting that life goes on, he wrote that they would miss his mother-in-law’s joie de vivre (enjoyment of life) and ended his post with “Descansa en paz, mamá (rest in peace, mum).”

A number of commenters expressed condolences for the loss of Assoc Prof Lim and his family.

One netizen noted, “I did not know your family were going through a difficult time. I sincerely thank you for your dedication to help speak up on the hospital capacity issues, burden of women caregivers during COS, and also serving the Sengkang residents.”

Indeed, the MPs recently ended a particularly busy time in the year, with the roll-out of the national Budget on February 16 and the Committee of Supply debates that followed.

On March 7, WP secretary-general and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh noted in a Facebook post the end of the debates, thanking the party’s policy and media volunteers for their help and support and the public for providing feedback.

He posted a photo of the WP MPs and noted that Assoc Prof Lim was on official leave that day due to a family matter. /TISG

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