KOTA KINABALU, Nov 17 — The rustic cobbled brickstone walls of the old St Michael’s Church in Penampang here soaked in the profound sadness of the thousand people as Sabah mourned the death of its son and former national goalkeeper Peter Rajah.
The 63-year-old prominent footballer suffered a heart attack last Wednesday and fought for two days before passing away early Friday morning.
Close and extended family, friends, work colleagues, former teammates and acquaintances of all races and religions filled the pews of the church in a simple but meaningful service for Rajah, some in respectful silence while others wept openly.
After paying their final respects, close friends and family including Rajah’s former teammates James Wong and Hassan Sani, carried the coffin out of the church to the hearse where the former was to be buried at the Lampaki private cemetery in Inobong, about a kilometre away from his family home.
Rajah’s widow Tracie Gom, with their three children — Elaine, Amanda and Reuben — were composed throughout the two hour service, till Elaine’s teary eulogy.
“Papa, you’ll always be remembered,” she said before breaking down.
Rajah also leaves behind five grandchildren, the youngest, who is just over a month old.
Rajah had served in many capacities with the Sabah sports board under the ministry and was still serving as Sandakan Sports Complex manager when he suffered the stroke and was rushed to the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan last November 12.
Rajah, who played for Sabah between 1972 and 1995 was part of the team against a friendly match with the Manchester United in 1981. Sabah lost 1-0 to the visiting team.
Rajah, Wong and Hassan was also part of the team that helped Malaysia qualify for the 1980 Moscow Olympics Games after beating South Korea 2-1.
Although the team pulled out at the last minute from the Olympics in support of the United States-led boycott against the Soviet Union for the invasion of Afghanistan, both Wong and Hassan described Rajah as a good comrade and considered their friendship as some of their best memories during their football era.
“He was a childhood friend, a buddy till the end as we’ve shared a lot of moments. He was indeed a super friend, a super football guru to some, an intelligent man and was always inspiring people, especially where football was concerned,” said Wong.
