Caring for mothers and newborn babies became more than a profession—it became her gift to the world. She brought warmth, reassurance, and strength to countless families during some of the most important moments of their lives.
Rosie’s story began in a tiny rented room above a shophouse on Killiney Road, where ten people—her father, a tailor, her mother, a devoted housewife, and their eight children—slept closely together on the floor each night. Life was crowded and difficult, but the home was filled with love, laughter, and the unspoken understanding that everyone had to look after one another. As the eldest of eight, Rosie naturally became the little “second mother” of the house—helping to care for her siblings, guiding them, protecting them, and often putting their needs before her own.
Bright and determined, Rosie attended one of the good girls’ schools of her time and did exceptionally well in her GCE O Levels. She loved learning and once dreamed of becoming a teacher. But her father, knowing her fiery spirit well, gently told her, “Your temper not good enough to teach—better you become a nurse.” Rosie listened, perhaps reluctantly at first, but that advice would shape the rest of her life.
Though she had to start working early to help support the family, Rosie pursued nursing with quiet determination and went on to become both a nursing staff member and a qualified midwife. Caring for mothers and newborn babies became more than a profession—it became her gift to the world. She brought warmth, reassurance, and strength to countless families during some of the most important moments of their lives.
Even when life tested her, Rosie always chose others first. After a car accident at work affected her eye, she used the insurance compensation not for herself, but to buy a car for her father so he could drive the family around more easily and care for everyone. That was Rosie’s way—loving deeply, giving quietly, and carrying everyone with her through life with courage and heart.