Stephen's Eulogy

Over the course of the past few days, I have come to realise that many have not seen the different facets of my brother, Stephen’s character. Please allow me now to share a little bit about Stephen.

Stephen the Athlete
Not only was Steph incredibly strong and muscular but he was very athletic to boot. After all, his students nicknamed him “Mr Muscles” for a good reason. However, what made him special as an athlete was his focus, drive and determination. His team mates will all testify that Steph gave no less than a hundred percent of himself during both training and in competition. He was extremely dedicated to his passion of dragon boating and if he was not training on the water, he would usually be found in the gym. In reaching the zenith of his sporting passion, by becoming an established member of the national dragon boat team, my family will always be proud of all his sporting achievements.

Stephen the Inspiration
There are many who teach, and there are the rare few who inspire. Steph would certainly belong to the latter. Reading through the numerous messages left by his students, who even though only knew him briefly, the common theme was the word- Inspirational. He went the extra mile for his students by showing concern, offering words of encouragement and even giving extra help to them outside of normal teaching hours. Some students even went as far as to say that his short time with them was nothing less than life changing.

Stephen the Friend
Although he was never one who would give into wanton displays of affection, however he through his quiet ways, he would always be there for a friend. A man of few words, Steph would be the one to provide a listening ear and give words of comfort. He would probably buy you coffee and say “eh don’t worry lah, its gonna be ok”. I’m certain all his friends from Church, St Andrews, Commandos, NTU, Dragon boat and NIE would dearly miss having his comforting presence.

Stephen the Son,
Throughout his growing up years and into adulthood, He was an obedient and filial son who was never a cause of worry for Mom and Dad. He was constantly on top of his studies, well disciplined and was excellent in managing his time wisely. Once again, he would seldom display his affections physically, but he was always concerned with the well being of my parents. Steph; Mom and Dad are most proud of all your achievements whether it was in school, or when you became an Officer in the Commandos, paying for your masters through a scholarship, representing our nation in dragon boat and most recently, for leaving such a wonderful legacy amongst your students.

Stephen my Brother
Daniel and I would certainly recall fond memories of the three of us growing up as kids. I certainly remember that during the WWF era, I would always be used as their life sized wrestling toy. All three of us shared a common love for Liverpool FC and we would watch live matches on the TV late into the night and cheer and scream hysterically whenever Liverpool scores. When I was studying abroad, he would always ask if I needed money and whenever I would thank him for his support, he would simply reply, “eh come on, we are brothers”. Steph, I have always looked up to you as both a older brother and a role model and have respected you for being the wonderful person that you are and I will continue to do so.

And now allow me to end my eulogy with a beautiful poem written by the National Junior College Track and Field team.

Our Tribute- A Poem
Just as the mist rises
Then vanishes down the stream
Mr Loh too has come and then left us
Today seems like it was a dream

That he was once so much a part of us
That he loved and lived as we do
Just like a fish that a fisherman threw back into the stream to go on its way
That is what he’s doing today

See the sun glitter
Though our tears are bitter
Just like the salmon’s leap
He’ll always be there in our memories deep
He’ll always be there in our memories deep

Goodbye Steph, I love you, we all love you and we will always miss you and you will be close to our hearts forever

Stephen's younger brother
Gideon Loh

brothers

you taught me to fight.
to live life as we like.
to make everything worthwhile
to never look back
you show me the spirit of life
you inspire me to leap
you give me strength, to look up to the skies
there i see you, flying strong and high
thanks, for we hug we smile we sweat
thanks, I go further because you are here
thanks, for we are brothers, today, forever

i remember you.

dear stephen,

i will always remember how u readily gave me ur shirt the very first time i met you. that pe tshirt probably meant nothing to you cuz u must have had many nice singapore team shirts, but the small gesture really struck me that u were a really nice guy.. much contrary to my first impression i got when i saw ur muscular build. heh :).

i will always remember how you are always friendly to me whenever u saw me around.. u were always full of smiles, even towards the other neighbours whom u dont really know. and also, how u seem to be forever hanging clothes outside your room without ur shirt on ;). i remember your stories about your naughty students.. and also your passion for dragonboat. i remember the last time i saw u, it was at sdba and u were running late for training. i was late for my kayaking class too. thus, we only said a quick hello. well, i wish i talked to you more then. those few minutes of lateness now seem so insignificant.

hmm.

even though we only conversed that few times.. u have left an impression in my heart. u know, i lost the shirt you gave me back in hk on a tour.. but i know.. the memories of you will be here to stay.

rest in peace, stephen. u make us singaporeans proud.

River Regatta 2006