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FRIENDS AND RELATIVES OFFERING THEIR PRAYERS at the wake of the Bongs, where the coffins of (from left) Madam Pang Chee Seng, 69, Madam Eleane Jane Kor, 36, Justin Bong, two, Mr Kevin Bong, 37, rest side by side. The Bongs often took part in grassroots events, said Ms Jessica Tan, an MP for East Coast GRC, where the Bongs lived. The MP was there to offer her condolences even though she did not know the Bongs personally. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
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TO FRIENDS of Mr Kevin Bong and Madam Eleane Jane Kor, they were an 'ideal couple'.
They shared the same passion for the outdoors. They were both quiet, yet warm. They even had the same pet name for each other - 'baby'.
'They were not the openly mushy type,' said Mr Ho Ee Kid, 40, an engineer who had known the couple for about six years.
'I had never seen them hold hands before, but from the way they talked to each other, you knew they had great chemistry.'
Mr Ho was among those who turned up at the Bong family's wake at The Church of St Mary of the Angels yesterday.
Relatives and friends, eyes red from crying, stopped by each of the four coffins - placed side by side - and offered their prayers.
Ms Jessica Tan, an MP for East Coast GRC, where the Bongs lived, arrived at noon to offer her condolences.
She did not know the Bongs personally but she said they took part in grassroots events frequently.
Mr Bong, a hotel sales manager, was active in community runs while his son Justin was a frequent face at baby competitions.
Friends of the couple recalled how they were very supportive of each other's interests and work.
Their former kayaking coach, Mr Ong Khe Wat, 42, said they started dating in their teens after meeting at the Sembawang Canoe Club, where both of them were members.
Mr Bong was the more active one and got Madam Kor to love outdoor sports too.
Madam Kor, who worked in the travel industry, influenced him to become a Catholic.
After they were married, they became active in the Singapore Adventurers' Club, where Mr Bong directed several of its adventure races.
Friends said the couple loved hawker fare. Just three weeks ago, the couple, together with their two children, took part in a food race with Mr Ho and his wife, where they had to travel around Singapore to find the best local food.
The last time Mr Ho spoke to Mr Bong - the night before the accident - the two were planning their next adventure race in Malaysia in May.
'I couldn't sleep the whole night after the news,' Mr Ho said.
Yesterday, members from the Singapore Adventurers' Club put together a scrapbook, filled with photographs of Mr Bong and Madam Kor during their adventure days, as a present for their surviving child, Jolene.
Said one member, Ms Gan Chim Yee, 29, an engineer: 'We want her to know what her parents were like when she grows up.'
Toddler was so adorable, he won baby contests
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