Joline Wong Koller Elmer

(14 March 1977 – 20 March 2008)

 

Joline always believed that life was precious and she embraced hers to the fullest. She cherished every moment, knowing how fragile life can be. She deeply loved her family and friends, and she passionately cared about those in the world less fortunate than her. Joline was a kind, gentle, soft spoken, polite, caring, helpful and sociable person. She was very thoughtful and always ready to help those around her, with an open ear, advice and two helping hands. Joline was embedded with a sense of timeless spirituality, and she loved people and she loved life. She was a beautiful girl inside out.

 

Joline was born in Singapore to a Singaporean-Chinese Mother, Wilin Wong, and a Swiss Father, Georges Koller. Joline was the eldest of 3 children. She loved her other two siblings, Wilgess and Jeslin, dearly. As a child she grew up in Singapore and also lived 5 years in Indonesia. At the age of 17 Joline left Singapore to pursue her university studies in Switzerland. Singapore always remained her hometown though, and she kept visiting family and friends there at least once a year.

 

Joline was a talented student with a great gift for languages. She graduated from Geneva University in English and Chinese. It was during her time in Geneva when she met her future husband Diepak on a snowboarding trip organized by the University. For her post-graduate studies Joline completed a master program in Gender and Development at the prestigious London School of Economics. In her professional life she liked to work with and for people. She was an English teacher in Geneva for many years and she also worked in the private sector. Her passion was to help others, which is why Joline enjoyed working for UNFPA and several NGOs for brief period of times.

 

Among Joline’s greatest interests were reading, jewellery making, clothes shopping, collecting antique artifacts, textiles and paintings. Travelling was another great passion that she developed at a young age and later also shared with Diepak. Together they travelled extensively, visiting every continent on this planet. Joline also loved to dance salsa, and she was fond of doing pilates and yoga. Joline was driven in sports too. In junior college, she became Singapore's kayaking champion. Enjoying good food was another of Joline's favorite pastimes. She liked all sorts of vegetables, and she especially loved eating seafood. She was also very fond of chocolates and preserved sour plums.

 

Joline was very close to Diepak’s family, which loved her very much. To his parents Subha and Dietrich she was like their eldest daughter, and to his sisters Sonya and Sara she was like a sister too. Both the Koller and Elmer families were thrilled when Diepak and Joline decided to get married in 2007. In May of that year they celebrated their marriage in Kathmandu, Nepal, and the civil marriage was held in Gruyères, Switzerland, on the 29th of June 2007. It was followed by a weekend of celebrations with over a hundred family members and friends, many flying in from overseas for the festive occasion. It was an unforgettable moment for the newlywed couple.

 

But destiny hit hard on March 20, 2008, six days after celebrating Joline’s 31st birthday in Mozambique. Joline and Diepak were travelling in Nampula Province, where they were planning to spend Easter Holidays on historic Mozambique Island. It was on the way from the airport to the hotel when the driver lost control of the car and hit a bus on the opposite lane. Joline was fatally injured. She immediately lost consciousness and did not suffer. In her last moments in this world she looked peaceful as ever, displaying the eternal beauty of her being that will always be missed and loved by the ones left behind. May your soul rest in peace dear Joline.