A large number of family and friends gathered at the St Francis Xavier Church in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, earlier today to pay their last respects to Wilfred ‘Freddie’ Vias.
His friends, mostly those who have donned the national colours, reminisced about the good old days with Vias. There were those who insisted on a long-overdue reunion.
They want to celebrate life and those around them, instead of meeting up only when there’s a death in the small, exclusive fraternity.
Vias died on Tuesday, at the age of 93. He leaves behind his wife, Rita, and daughter Shoba.
There was a calm acceptance among those who came to say goodbye, knowing he was going to a better place.
Vias had been sickly for the past two months, but even at that stage, he taught his family how to grow old with dignity, humour, and kindness.
Shoba related a story about a special needs fan, in her 50s, who once came up to Vias during Easter service and kissed him on each cheek.
Vias turned beet red but graciously thanked her for remembering him.
The story made many in the church laugh, as family and friends remembered a man with chiselled features and a warm smile that made him a heartthrob.
As Shoba said: “Dad would not want you to be sad.”
In her eulogy, Shoba said many remembered her father as a great sportsman, and a man with a big heart.
“As a social worker, he helped many childless couples with the adoption process,” she said.
“There are countless stories where other people would ask Dad and Mum to take in their children, as they, as a couple, tried to cope with a misfortune of some sort.
“As Dad always said, go forth and be man and woman of action.”
There were those who admitted that they had not met up with the former hockey captain who went on to become a National Sports Council director-general, in recent times.
Vias played an instrumental role in securing the national team a spot in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. At the Summer Games, the national team – then competing as the Federation of Malaya – finished ninth.
It was no surprise that Vias’ funeral service attracted a massive crowd.
Former Malaysian captain and coach, Stephen van Huizen, and Colin Santa Maria, were among those who attended.
The duo was part of the national youth team that played in the 1977 qualifiers for the 1979 Junior World Cup. Vias was the team manager, then.
“He was a man of very few words, but when he spoke, it really hit you,” said van Huizen.
“It is unfortunate that I’m only meeting up with my old teammates and friends on such a sad occasion.”
Van Huizen said members of one of his WhatsApp chat groups – comprising former national players – were heartbroken upon hearing of Vias’ demise. Many of them lamented that they had not had the opportunity to meet Vias, who was equally good in cricket, before his death.
“That is one of the bigger regrets. Now that it is easier for everyone to travel, the group has to organise a reunion,” said van Huizen.
Van Huizen said he met several former teammates at Vias’ wake.
“I bumped into several of them when I came over a couple of days ago,” he said.
“We need to organise that reunion quickly to meet under happier circumstances.”
Santa Maria said he was not surprised by the number of people who turned up for the service.
“The crowd is a testament to the person that Vias was,” said Santa Maria.
“Besides being my team manager, he was also my boss for a short while, in 1977. I learned a lot from him.
“I agree with Stephen. We need to organise a reunion, so we can celebrate life.
“Vias would have loved it.”
Besides the duo, other hockey greats, including Datuk R. Yogeswaran and Datuk Poon Fook Loke, were at the church.
Vias was cremated at the Petaling Jaya City Council crematorium.
The Malaysian hockey fraternity is still reeling from the recent deaths of two former internationals.
In February, former player and coach, Yahya Atan, suffered a stroke and passed away. He was 67.
A month later, S. Sivabalan, 59, died during a hockey match in Ipoh.
