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SINGAPORE – Ms Jean Marshall, a social work pioneer and wife of the late former Chief Minister David Marshall, died at her home on Monday (March 29) afternoon.
She was 94 years old.
Mrs. Marshall leaves behind four children, Ruth, Sarah, Joanna and Jonathan, ages 60 to 52, and six grandchildren.
Mrs. Marshall suffered a fall last December and had been confined to her bed in her condo apartment on Balmoral Road since early February, Dr. Jonathan Marshall told The Straits Times.
For the next six weeks, her mother “experienced a lot of physical pain,” she said. “Mobility became a problem. She felt that the time had come … and that she had lived a good life, a long life. She asked me to be happy for her when she left.”
It was a drastic change for Ms. Marshall, who used to swim for at least 20 minutes a day before the fall, Dr. Marshall said. “It has been emotionally very difficult to see my mother suffer. It is a mixture of sadness and pain to see her go, but also of peace knowing that she is no longer in pain.”
He remembers his mother as a warm, respectful, and committed person who invested much of her time with loved ones, including close friends.
Towards the end, they would bring groceries and spend time with her, he said. “Seeing them join her … is quite inspiring.”
Mrs. Marshall would have turned 95 in two weeks.
“We’ve been so focused on her health that that topic hadn’t really come up,” Dr. Marshall said. “If we had a birthday party, it would be something simple with family and friends.”
Born in 1926 in the city of Orpington in England, Miss Jean Mary Gray came to Singapore in 1953 to take up a position with the Red Cross after responding to an advertisement from field officers. She then became a medical social worker and became a Singapore citizen in 1960.
In 1961, she married Marshall, a lawyer-turned-politician who had been Singapore’s chief prime minister between 1955 and 1956.
Miss Gray, who had studied economics and sociology at the London School of Economics, met Mr. Marshall in 1958 at a university call. She became a regular guest at Sunday lunches at his home in Changi.
In early 1961, when she was considering moving to Chicago in the United States to obtain a higher degree in social work, he proposed. She accepted.
After her marriage, she stopped doing full-time paid work. Instead, she volunteered, raised her children, and was a pillar of support for her husband, who became an ambassador in 1978.
He died on December 12, 1995, at the age of 87, after a battle with lung cancer.
In a 2016 report in The Sunday Times, Ms Marshall, when asked why she stayed in Singapore after her husband died and her children had grown up, said: “I just assumed I would stay; it never occurred to me moving to England. Of course, my ethnic origin is permanent. But after 60 years, I identify with Singapore. However, it is possible to think of more than one place as home. “
In a letter of condolence to the family, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Ms. Marshall made significant contributions to medical social work, including to the Red Cross in Malaya, and also to the Singapore Children’s Society.
She was a volunteer at the society’s nursing home for nearly 20 years, and continued even while pregnant, she added. “Born in the UK, Jean made Singapore her home and contributed a lot to our society.”
She was also a faithful companion of the late Mr. Marshall, Mr. Lee said. “She was by Mr. Marshall’s side when he served as Singapore’s ambassador to France, offering warm hospitality to foreigners to introduce them to Singapore, and also to Singaporeans in France to make them feel less homesick. When I visited Paris in 1989, she took good care of me too. Despite the age difference, we got along well. “
When Ms. Marshall was hospitalized a few weeks ago, PM Lee had written her a note for her to recover and told her that he was glad she was well enough to respond. “But now she has left us, and we mourn the loss of one of our pioneers in Singapore.”
The family said his funeral would be a simple affair, in accordance with their wishes.
The date of the funeral is being confirmed. Those who wish to make a commemorative gift can make a donation to a charity of their choice on behalf of Ms. Marshall, or to one of their favorite charities, such as HCA Hospice Care, the family suggested.
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