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True to her nature, Singapore's oldest person Teresa Hsu, who dedicated her life to helping others, opted not to have people fuss over her death.

The 113-year-old's adopted son and caregiver Sharana Rao, 62, posted a note on the website of Heart To Heart, the non-profit charity organization she founded, saying 'Sister Teresa passed away peacefully at home' last Wednesday.

She was cremated on the same day, in accordance with her wish to depart quietly and peacefully, without holding any rituals or ceremonies that might inconvenience others, he wrote. "I have duly carried out her instructions, and respected her wishes. It is hoped that all friends, supporters, donors, volunteers and well-wishers respect her wishes too, so that she can rest in peace."

It is understood that Hsu came down with an infection about two months ago, and spent time in and out of hospital.

When contacted, Rao declined to comment further on Hsu, whom he has known since 1972.

Hsu was well-known for her active involvement in community work - she set up the Home for the Aged Sick in 1965 and later founded Heart To Heart.

Some have dubbed her Florence Nightingale - a famous English nurse - while others have described her as Singapore's own Mother Teresa - the nun known for her work among the poor in India.

Daniel Heng, a close friend and volunteer at Heart To Heart, said one of her mottos was "love conquers all."

Recalling how she would accompany volunteers to distribute food late at night, even after she hit 110, the 54-year-old owner of a logistics company said: "She really gave a lot of love to many people."

Other close friends remember the selfless love she showered on everyone she met and the basic belief she held - that the whole world was one big family, and everyone was her brother or sister.

Her friends added that laughter and a smile were her constant companions, and something she gave to those around her.

Born in 1898 into a poor family in Shantou, China, Hsu moved to Penang with her mother and three siblings in 1927 after her father abandoned them.

She convinced some convent nuns there to let her study with the children, and passed her Senior Cambridge examinations four years later.

She worked as a volunteer in Hong Kong and Chongqing in China during World War II, and left for England to train as a nurse when the conflict ended in 1945. Then in her 40s, she spent eight years studying nursing in England and another eight in Paraguay as a member of a German charity group to start homes for the aged and hospitals there.

She later moved to Singapore and used some money she received from her sister to set up the Home for the Aged Sick.

Now known as the Society for the Aged Sick, the charitable organization in Hougang has 244 beds and offers residential care for the destitute and sick elderly.

The memory of her poverty-stricken childhood and the times when hunger drove her to eat grass along the roadside spurred Hsu to set up Heart To Heart.

It provides the poor and the needy with food and monetary assistance every month.

She had earlier said: "If it is within my power, no one will go hungry, and I push myself to fulfill that promise. It is not charity but a natural thing to do."

A vegetarian since birth, she picked up yoga at age 69 and practiced meditation. She loved classical music, and had a lifelong passion for learning, which she fed through books. She kept a library with more than 2,000 books at her home in Hougang.

Her devotion to teaching yoga led her to receive a Sporting Singapore Inspiration Award in the senior citizens category in 2004.

Hsu, who never married, was also named Active Senior Citizen Of The Year in 2003 and awarded the Public Service Star in 2009 for her volunteer work.

Chinese-language teacher Wan Suet Yue, 62, said she first met Hsu about six years ago, when she gave a talk at the United World College.

"Even at her age, she walked up to the auditorium on the third floor without any help. It spoke volumes of her health and indefatigable spirit," Wan said.

Hsu displayed that same determination every Saturday when she made a weekly trip to the York Hill housing estate to visit the elderly, till she was no longer able to do so earlier this year, said close friend Raymond Chew, 60.

The bank officer used to smoke, gamble and drink before he met her. He is among many whose lives changed after meeting her. Chew gave up his vices, became a vegetarian and now volunteers regularly with Heart To Heart.

He said: "The love she shows is boundless. She always believed in sharing. If she had just one bowl of rice, she would give half of it away.

"She's a great teacher, and she will always be remembered."

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055.