Mother to three generations

GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA - A mother's job is never done a saying that runs true for octogenarian Molek Lee Saw Im who is not only looking after her grandchildren, but also her great-grandchildren.

Just when she thought her job as a mother was complete with all her four children married, Lee, 80, took on the responsibility of being a grandmother and subsequently a great-grandmother.

Lee, a Nyonya matriach, has seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Her house in Jalan Gajah, Tanjung Bungah, is called the "cafe", "hospital" and "daycare centre", among others, because Lee caters to the different needs of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The energetic Lee, who won the Miss Nyonya Kebaya International beauty pageant title in 2008 at the ripe age of 76, is also tech-savvy.

"I use my laptop to communicate with my son who is living in Australia while my Facebook account allows me to keep in touch with friends and family around the world," she said at her home yesterday.

Married to former airlines manager Jeffrey Koh, the sprightly Lee said she has always been an independent woman.

One of Lee's daughter Lillian Koh, 49, said everyone in the family would run to her mother for help with the children, maids or even their dogs in tow.

"We can really count on her.

"Mother will visit our homes for inspection' to make sure her grandchildren are well-fed, the house is neat and there is food," she added.

Both Lillian and her elder sister Sally, 59, said their children are closer to their grandmother than to them.

"They confide in her things that they don't want to tell us," Sally added.

Sally's son Khor Ming Yang, 38, a father of two, said his grandmother had always been his pillar of support.

"She's a very warm person and always helpful," he said.

This Mothers Day, the whole family plans to get together for a dinner at a restaurant.