NUS professor, 53, who volunteered with police force, dies following afternoon run
When he returned home from an afternoon run, National University of Singapore (NUS) professor Lee Loo Hay told his daughter he wasn’t feeling well.
Moments later, after coming out of the shower, the 53-year-old collapsed.
Mr Lee, a renowned faculty member at the Industrial Systems Engineering & Management (ISEM) department, later died on the way to hospital from coronary artery disease.
He leaves behind a wife and two children.
When interviewed by Shin Min Daily News on Saturday (March 19), his 21-year-old daughter said her father exercised regularly and had no known health issues.
Mr Lee joined NUS in 1997 and had been the recipient of multiple teaching awards and commendations over the past four years.
A former classmate who attended the wake on Monday (March 21) said Mr Lee was academically inclined and made significant contributions in his field.
Another friend told Shin Min he would often go cycling with Mr Lee, and that many were shocked to learn of his death.
Tributes have also poured in online from those who knew him.
In a post by the NUS ISEM department, Mr Lee was described as an "internationally recognised authority in the fields of simulation-based optimisation and also in maritime logistics and supply chain", as well as an "award-winning teacher".
The post drew messages of condolences from his former students, many of whom described him as an extraordinary educator and a "great mentor".
Mr Lee was also a volunteer police officer with the police force and would go out on weekly patrols every Saturday.
From his posts on social media, he was also an avid biker and helped set up the NUS Motorcycle Club.
His daughter told Shin Min that Lee would often share stories from his weekly patrols – on how he would manage cases involving inebriated people in public places.
She explained that he was the youngest child in his family, and so he took the opportunity as an adult to do things he never got the chance to as a kid.
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