You da man, Lionel Yew

 

Lionel Yew was one of the early movers in the recreational use of 4WD vehicles. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: What an irony. The sport that made Yew Cheng Hoe a badminton legend has claimed the life of his son.

Welfare-driven entrepreneur Lionel Yew Wei Ming suffered a heart attack at the Mont Kiara badminton courts on Christmas Eve. He was 52.

Five days on, the pall of disbelief hangs heavy. Memories of the “big bloke with a big heart” stirred deep emotions among the endless stream of mourners at the nightly wake.

The funeral mass is at 2pm today at the Church of St Francis Xavier, Jalan Gasing, followed by the cremation at Gui Yuan Crematorium at Jalan 51a/229, Section 51a.

Lionel Yew was a ‘big bloke with a big heart’. (Facebook pic)

Both father and son didn’t flinch from challenges. They faced them head-on, and brought people together.

For 79-year-old Cheng Hoe, the sudden passing of his son is his saddest badminton story.

Cheng Hoe helped produce some of the happiest stories of Malaysian badminton, the most glorious when they brought home the Thomas Cup in 1967.

The sport had then served as a unifier for the often restless people of a diverse and nascent Malaysia.

Lionel, likewise, was a caring volunteer. He was a true spark plug, with an array of civic causes that included flood rescue and the wellbeing of Orang Asli.

His uncle, KC Boey, said Lionel was an imposing figure who stood up for the needy and the marginalised.

“He had been one of the early movers in the recreational use of 4WD vehicles in Kuala Lumpur,” said Boey, a former editor of The Malay Mail newspaper and a motoring reviewer, now writing out of Melbourne.

Lionel Yew (right) at a family gathering with his badminton hero father Yew Cheng Hoe (centre) and uncle KC Boey (left). (Facebook pic)

He said Lionel was a sought-after guide in 4WD adventure tours, including across the South China Sea to Sarawak.

“From fun, Lionel’s big heart naturally drew him to fording his Ford Ranger XLT, and leading his band of 4WD mates over floodwaters in rescue work from Shah Alam to north Perlis, south to Johor, and east to Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu,” he said.

Boey said his nephew’s major welfare work had been in collecting and delivering essential supplies to Orang Asli in the Slim River region.

Lionel had also provided homemade full-face shields to those who could not afford one at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Boey said it was with the same dedication that Lionel devoted his time to family – wife Ramona Dutt and children, singer-songwriter Liesl-Mae and Liam, a rugby player.

Lionel Yew’s daughter, singer-songwriter Liesl-Mae, featured recently on a digital billboard at Times Square in New York. (Facebook pic)

Liesl-Mae, a mental health therapist, was surprised when her face graced a Spotify digital billboard at New York’s Times Square recently.

In a social media post, she echoed her father’s lend-a-hand philosophy: “Here’s to turning up the volume on more female voices in the music industry – alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

Seasoned offroader Paul Si recalled that Lionel often used the phrase “Lu si lang”, which in Hokkien loosely translates as “You da man”, in appreciation of people who have done a good job.

Si related an amusing incident involving Lionel’s luggage during a 4×4 adventure.

At the start of the journey, Lionel put his bag in Si’s car as he wanted to ride with him, only for him to be assigned to another vehicle. “So, he didn’t see his clothes for four days.”

“The following year, he clung on to his bag but after three days together, he decided to put his bag in my car, only for us to be separated by a flash flood.

“After that he became paranoid about being separated from his clean underwear,” Si mused.

4×4 Adventure Club Kuala Lumpur founding member Yamin Vong said Lionel was a passionate offroader and an enthusiast of the Ford Ranger 4×4 brand.

“He was one of the pioneer members of the Lanun Darat off road and camping group initiated by Ford Malaysia and will be fondly remembered for his tales by the fireside, with his favourite drink in his hand,” said Yamin.

“He still had so much to give. We shall miss him.” - FMT