Close Families – Yeoh, Lim and Chew

Close family. (l-r) Ignatius Chew,Christine Yeoh Choo Hoon (3rd from left) and after her Datuk Lim Si Boon.

Yeoh-Lim-Chew in Hokkien sounds like the “Yeoh’s (like to) drink wine” And so it was a night of merry making and close relationship of the families at the recent Datuk Yeoh Kian Teik memorial.

There was so much of camaraderie amongst the cousins that night that I sought to ask Christine Yeoh what it was that gave them all such family unity.

“It’s been that way from our grand-parents time, four generations ago.  We were a strict family but among us cousins we grew up together and we remained very close.

 

Close relations through marriage 

My great grandfather was Yeoh Kuan Joo married Lim Siew Tong who was the sister of Lim Seok Tan, Datuk Lim Si Boon great grandfather.

That was well before the war and the families have been close since.

Christine explained that during her Grandmothers time whenever there was an event all the families came together.

 

Chew Boon Juan ( 2nd from left) and Yeoh Khuan Joo (7th from left) at the wedding of Boon Juan's 7th daughter

In the 1930’s Yeoh Kuan Joo’s son Yeoh Ghim Cheow was married to Chew Gaik Tiew the daughter of Chew Boon Juan while in the 40’s another Yeoh daughter Yeoh Suan Bee married Chew Choon Kok thus continuing the relationship of the families.

In recent times, Christine said her father the late Datuk Yeoh Kian Teik and the late Datuk K.K. Lim, Lim Si Boon father were good friends and drinking buddies for a long time.