Family devastated as father and son die less than 24 hours apart

A father and son died within few hours of each other, leaving a family devastated and in deep shock.

The son, Mr Alex Pak, 48, a businessman, died last Sunday (Dec 19) after he collapsed while praying in a temple.

His father, Peter Pak, 75, who was admitted to the National University Hospital for several months, died the next morning.

The cause of both deaths was heart disease.

Apple Wong, wife of the son, said his death, followed by her father-in-law's was a double blow for her.

"The feeling is indescribable," she told The Straits Times on Wednesday morning.

She added that her husband had a heart bypass surgery last October, but had always lived a healthy lifestyle since.

Madam Wong, who was married to him for 23 years, said: "He exercised frequently and had a balanced diet."

Thinking back to Sunday morning, she said: "He looked okay, there was nothing wrong with him."

Madam Cheong Kim Geok, the mother of Mr Alex Pak and ex-wife of Mr Peter Pak, said that she is still unable to come to terms with her son's death.

Choking back tears, the 66-year-old housewife told ST in Mandarin: "I can't describe the pain that I felt. I took care of my son since he was young and he just died at the age of 48.

"How do you expect me to accept this? No matter what I do, he can't come back anymore."

She added the last time she saw her son was the day before he died, when he visited her with his son.

"I made tea for him. He was looking through his son's photographs and saying how big he has grown since," she said.

Madam Cheong said that she and her husband remained friends after they divorced in 1974.

The son had visited his ailing father at the hospital last Sunday, before going to the temple at Soon Lee Street in Jurong West to pray for his father's health.

He dropped his wife and son off at Kent Ridge MRT station because the 17-year-old boy had a school assignment due soon and wanted to go home .

While praying, he collapsed. One of his friends applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him while the other called the ambulance immediately.

He was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 4.30pm.

The next morning at about 8am, the father died.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force told ST on Wednesday that they received a call for assistance on Sunday at about 3.05pm, at No. 5 Soon Lee Street, and took a person to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

Business administrator Wong Khai Xin, 26, Mr Alex Pak's niece and who had lived with them for four years, said her uncle was an easy-going person and loved children.

She added in Mandarin: "I will miss the sound of his voice, there will be one less voice at home now."

Mr Aloysius Pak, 49, the elder brother, said that their father's health had deteriorated since he underwent a heart bypass surgery 20 years ago.

He added that their father had been hospitalised since August this year and that the doctor had told them this month to prepare for the worst.

"When we visited our father together on Sunday morning, our father had held on to both of our hands despite being too weak to talk," he said in Mandarin.

He added: "We were mentally prepared that our father will go any time, but for my brother, it was really sudden. I am really heartbroken."