Dear Friends
I am saddened to be the one who has to give you the news that James Alexander, one of my best friends at UWC, passed away on Thursday 6th December.
It was his 50th birthday.
James passed away at his home in Kuala Lumpur, after dinner with
Jeevan and Vasugi and "the gang" the evening before on the 5th. On the 6th, Jeevan and Vasugi and others tried to call him out for a birthday party but got no replies. Late that evening one of his friends went to his house and entered to find Jim on his bed. It appears that he may have had a heart attack while he was in bed and Vasugi tells me that he did not appear to have suffered. There will be a post-mortem tomorrow.
James is survived by his mother, herself infirm and living in Scotland.
Amanda and I saw him every year at Christmas, and if you remember from my Reunion Newsletters, the whole idea of the reunion in December 2005 came from a drunken barbeque at our house in Perth when Jim and I reminisced about SIS and Amanda suggested we organise the reunion. We looked forward to seeing him again this year but it is now not to be - we shall remember him from many memories including last year when he specially drove down from KL to Singapore when Amanda and I were there for a couple of days, to keep our record of seeing each other every Christmas.
Many thanks to Jeevan and Vasugi, who, as true friends, are organising everything in KL. Jeevan will see about his funeral which will be held in KL sometime after 14th December - I will email more details of this when I know in a day or so. For those of you who will attend, it will be another reunion, sadly.
Jim's mother has decided that he should be cremated and his ashes scattered at the rubber estate where he grew up at Batang Berjuntai. I am glad as despite a life time of travel around the world, his birthplace of Malaysia is the place he loved.
Teik
7th December 2007
James - a great friend who appreciated the true meaning of friendship, both received and given. It was a pleasure to have known you. With greatest respect - Jane & Allardes
Posted by: Jane & Allardes Hoiting | December 14, 2007 at 07:17 AM