| Leong Swee Yeng | |
| Birth: | 1907 Malaysia (then a British colony) |
| Death: | fl.17 March 2014 Singapore |
| Age: | 107 years |
| Country: |  MYS SGP
|
| Centenarian | |
Leong Swee Yeng (1907 – fl.17 March 2014) was a Malaysian-born Singaporean centenarian.
Biography[]
Leong Swee Yeng was born in Malaysia in 1907.
Leong's husband (to whom she was match-made) owned a rubber plantation in Johor, which they ran together. Though she never got a chance to go to school for long, she was very strict about education, and most of her nine children (two of whom have since passed away) went to higher education. Although, Leong's mother went to school and enjoyed finer things in life like wine, she was not as supportive of schooling with her own daughter.
Life was especially tough during the Japanese Occupation. Leong and her husband would only eat sweet potatoes and they would hide regularly in a bomb shelter, which they built. The bomb shelter could fit 30 to 40 people and some neighbours came in too. A kerosene lamp was used to light the shelter. She said that during those tough times, she never did get a chance to see a Japanese.
To make extra income for her family, Leong would make saris and planted brinjals, maize and long beans. She also made jute out of clothing and kept a pig farm.
She used to cycle a lot until the age of 80, when her children asked her to stop as they felt it might be too dangerous. She would cycle miles to work. When she arrived, she would have to find a stone, which would allow her to get off her bicycle with ease.
She also had a knack for sewing; she would make purses for all her grandchildren, as well as blankets and tablecloths. Even in her 80s, she continued to make things including bak chang (sticky rice dumplings), of which she was able to make upwards of 1,000 a day.
Her mental calculation is still very good today and can immediately give an answer. In the past, she never relied on any calculating tools like an abacus.
Leong's husband passed away at the age of 76 and her mother apparently lived to be 126 years old.
She had 30 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and about five great-great-grandchildren as of March 2014.
It is unknown when/if Leong Swee Yeng had passed away.
References[]
- In the genes Ageless Online, 17 March 2014