Armenisgild Stanislaus Desker (also known as A.S. Desker or Hermogenes Desker) of 60 Waterloo Street (19th April 1853 - died 14th May 1912) was a prominent person in the Eurasian Community and the Catholic community. He studied in Raffles Institution before joining the service of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Co. in July 1870 and worked till his retirement for 31 years in December 1901. Mr. A.S. Desker held the position of Chief of the Dock Accounts Department. One year prior to his retirement, the company in consideration of his long and faithful service, granted him 1 year's leave one full pay, paid in advance and a free first class return passage to England and on his return awarded him a pension. Mr. A.S. Desker then went on to be Broker and Insurance Agent till his death in 1912. He was twice married, his first wife being a daughter of the late Mr. J.F. Hansen, who predeceased him in 1911 and by the side of whose grave at Bidadari he was buried (before Bidadari Cemetery was exhumed for housing). His second wife was a Japanese lady. The funeral cortege left from 60 Waterloo Street for the Church of St. Joseph before burial at Bidadari Cemetery.
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| Armenisgild Stanislaus Desker |
Blessed are the dead
who died in the Lord
Wife: Caroline Mary / Mary Caroline Elizabeth / Carolina Hanson (2 December 1856 - 28 May 1911)
Fortunately someone saved also the beautiful marble obelisk memorial stone of Mr. Armenisgild Stanislaus Desker's first wife, Caroline Mary (daughter of the late Mr. J.F. Hansen). Mary Caroline Elizabeth passed away at the age of 55 on 28 May 1911 at 60 Waterloo Street. (Penang, Java and Shanghai papers please copy).
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| Memorial stone of Caroline Mary |
Thou Art but gone before us
Hast sped away, beloved wife,
to the bosom of Jesus
Our resurrection and life
Short will be our separation
everlasting our re-union
R.I.P.
The executors of his estate were Edward Henry Desker, Natividade Joaquim Desker, Thomas Samuel Cornelius and Samuel Rudolph de Souza.
The Desker Road connection
Desker Road was named after Andre Filipe Desker (Henry Fillipe Desker). Of Eurasian descent, he was born in Malacca in 1826 to Filipe Desker and Miguelina Sekelches, he arrived in Singapore in the 1840s. One of the first butchers in Singapore, Desker & Co. butchery was located between Veerasamy Road and Norris Road in the 1860s. Also known as Mr. H. Desker, he married Esmeralda Bruyns in 1853 in Singapore. The couple had 13 children who were born between 1854 and 1880. A well-known philanthropist, Desker donated generously to major Catholic schools and churches. He died on 9 March 1898 at his residence in Serangoon Road at the age of 72 and was buried at the Bukit Timah Road Cemetery. One of his sons was no other then Mr. Armenisgild Stanislaus Desker.St. Joseph Church connection
A.S. Desker donated the high altar of white and coloured Italian marble and like his father donated generously to the Catholic institution.
[research on-going]
Location of Memorial Tomb
The memorial headstones of Mr. A.S. Desker and Caroline Mary is at the Garden of Remembrance, 920 Choa Chu Kang Road.
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| Memorial stone of A.S. Desker at Garden of Remembrance |
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References
The late Mr. A.S. Desker (1912, May 15). The Singapore Free Press, page 7
St. Joseph's Church. (1912, June 26). The Straits Times, page
Planning to Build, Building to Plan. (website). BiblioAsia, Oct-Dec 2020.
Planning to Build, Building to Plan. (website). BiblioAsia, Oct-Dec 2020.
Desker Road. (website). Singapore Infopedia
Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics. By Victor R Savage, Brenda Yeoh
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