Funeral expense of Madam Goh Kim Neo (Bukit Brown)

I do get questions on how much it would have cost for a funeral in Bukit Brown. There are some examples of estimate cost, but today i found a detail example of this for the funeral of Mrs. Lim Chia Teck nee Madam Goh Kim Neo who passed away at the age of 70 on 20 July 1939. The below is a close-up of an entry from the notebook of Mr. Chia Keng Tye (son-in-law of Madam Goh Kim Neo and son of Mr. and Mrs. Chia Hood Theam) dated 20 July 1939.  

His handwriting was very clear and gave a detail breakdown of the funeral expense of Madam Goh Kim Neo who passed at the age of 70 on 20 July 1939. The cost came down to $1436.

The breakdown includes

• Grave Plot $60
• Burial Fee $15
• Malacca Coffin $180
• Ang Chin Huat $500
• Various Other expenses $301
• Making Kubor $380

There is so many interesting nuggets from the breakdown including the cost of the coffin ($180) and how they used the service of Ang Chin Huat, likely for the funeral procession (Ang Chin Huat started its operations in 1912 from a shophouse at Upper Pickering Street and was the precursor to Ang Chin Moh which is existence till today). The last entry - Making Kubor means probably the purchase of the tombstone that you see in the picture below which is of marble with lead etching. 

Finally, i asked Gemini to give me an estimate of how much $1,436 be equivalent to 2026 context. 

Period	Estimated Multiplier	Adjusted Value
1939 Value	1x	$1,436 (Malayan)
2026 Value	~29x - 31x	$41,644 - $44,516 (SGD)

Co-pilot gave me a slightly lower figure of $32,700. Either way, the cost would have been a princely sum even back then. 

Madam Goh Kim Neo (Mrs Lim Chia Teck) tomb
in Block 1, Division B, plot 142.

Madam Goh Kim Neo and family 

Mrs. Lim Chia Tek nee Goh Kim Neo states she passed away at the age of 70 at No 173 Pasir Panjang Road on 20 July 1939. She left behind a son, Lim Boon Eng, a daughter, Mrs. Chia Keng Tye nee Lim Tuan Neo and many grandchildren and great grandchildren to mourn her lost.  

Madam Goh Kim Neo alias Mak Spylan with her daughters and grandchildren
(source: Down Memory Lane by Noreen Chan)

Husband: Lim Chia Teck
Lim Chia Teck passed away not long after he was married (around 1895) and left behind a widow and 2 children, a boy; Lim Boon Eng and a girl, Lim Tuan Neo. 

Father-in-law: Lim Tua Tow
Lim Chia Tek / Teck father is Lim Tua Tow who left Fujian, China around 1860 for Batavia (Jakarta). He was a rice merchant and he eventually sold his business and came to Singapore and bought a piece of land bounded by the present Boundary Road, Lim Tua Tow Road, Yio Chu Kang Road and Jalan Teck Kee. Lim Tua Tow passed away in 1912 at the age of 70.

Son: Lim Boon Eng
Lim Boon Eng was 5 when his father, Lim Chia Teck passed away (roughly around 1895). Lim Boon Eng grew up to be a Seaman and later a Storekeeper. Lim Boon Eng married a bride from China and together they have 5 sons and 3 daughters. Lim Boon Eng passed away at age of 86 on 21 December 1976. He is survived by sons; Lim Tiong San, Lim Tiong Wah, Lim Tiong San, Richard, George, M. , 3 daughters and 5 daughter-in-law, 1 son-in-law  12 grandchildren. The cortege left from 145 Serangoon Garden Way for Kong Meng San Crematorium. The link between this Lim Boon Eng (and there are a few Lim Boon Eng in the digitised newspapers that can be potentially confusing) with Madam Goh Kim Neo is thanks to the article by Straits Times dated 11 March 1981 linking all the personalities mentioned back to Lim Chia Teck and his two children, Lim Tuan Neo and Lim Boon Eng. When Lim Boon Eng passed away, his eldest son gained custody of a genealogical table dated 1887. The purpose of the table were elaborated in the two columns by the side which was translated in the 1981 article.

Daughter: Mrs Chia Keng Tye nee Lim Tuan Neo
Mrs Chia Keng Tye (nee Lim Tuan Neo) passed away on April 11, 1948 after a long illness and is survived by her husband. 2 sons (Dr. Chia Chin Tiong, Chia Chin Siang), 3 daughters (Elsie, Maggie, Daisy). Chia Keng Tye is the eldest son of Mr and Mrs Chia Hood Team. He was a Campradore of Merchantile Bank (just like his father before him) and served in the Bank for 34 years starting from 1907. He was also multi-talented and was a musician, violinist, sports man and a professional tennis player. Chia Keng Tye passed away at the age of 77 on June 8, 1961.

Mr and Mrs Chia Keng Tye and son Chia Chin Tong
(photo courtesy of Chia Chan Chai)

Notebook of Chia Keng Tye
(source: Down Memory Lane by Noreen Chan)