TO MY DEAREST BROTHER, STEPHEN JOHNSON WHO HAD BEEN CALLED TO THE LORD ON 17TH OCTOBER 2011
It had been a few days since my brother died on an accident. He was riding a motorcycle coming back from work when it suddenly happen. He was knocked down by a cement mixing lorry (QC) near Batu Kawa road and died on the spot. It was just a week after his 24th birthday which falls on the 10th October 2011. He sustained serious head injury and his helmet is badly damage.
I got the news from my father who is that day also not working because he just retired from MLNG and by the time I got the call it was almost 8pm and I was still at work almost going home at that time. After informing the manager, the four of us; my father, my sister together with her husband and myself drove to Serian that very night around 9pm and arrived around 6am the next day.
The same day also we went to the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) morque to claim his remains. After all the post mortem and all, he was brought back to Kampung Taee, Serian. That night plenty villagers and relatives came to pay their last respect to him including friends from Kuching. The next day The Rt Revd Bolly Lapok, Archbishop elect of South East Asia & Bishop of Kuching came to pay us a visit.
My brother's funeral service was held at the St John' Parish, Kampung Taee and was buried at the cemetery there. The Rt Revd Aeries Sumping, Assistant Bishop of Kuching came all the way after his visit to the funeral service and stayed until the the remains are safety buried.
I have lost a brother in this earth but deep inside my heart I knew that he was up there together with the late Billy Joe who passed away last year. Then last Sunday, 23rd October 2011 got another news that one of our ex-server, Michael Manggum from St Thomas' Parish also passed away in Miri also in a motorcycle accident. Both my brother and Michael had been serving as church servers before few years back. Here are some of the few pictures that I've taken:
