Crash victim remembered as loving, kind mother

IPOH: She will be sorely missed as she was a kind and loving mother and grandmother, and was an excellent cook, said Anne Rahimmah Tournier, the daughter of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 tragedy victim Noor Rahimmah Mohd Nor.
The school teacher in Geneva, Switzerland said Noor Rahimmah, 67, was fondly referred to as "Ummi" by her three-year-old grand-daughter, Alice Iman Tournier.
"It was something that was important to us. It was her cooking that got me and my dad to eat spicy food.
"She was a very good cook. She took care of my daughter and she was like a second mother to her," she told reporters here today.
Reminiscing the times with her mother, Tournier, 29, said although Noor Rahimmah, a mother of two, had lived in Geneva for a long time, she had continued to speak in her mother tongue when talking to her grand-daughter and taught her to speak the language, as well.
"I can speak Malay, but only a little bit. I would try to do the same thing because I am half-Malay," she said.
Tournier was thankful that her mother's remains had been found and said the burial in Ipoh, Perak went smoothly.
She said Noor Rahimmah had once told her that she wanted to be buried at her family home in Kampung Melayu Rizab, Tambun here.
Tournier said she was due to return to Switzerland and would probably spend a few days here to get to know her mother's family better.
"There are still lots of things to deal with. I also want to spend more time with my family and relatives here," she said, adding that her brother, Johan, 26, would arrive soon to visit their mother's grave.
Meanwhile, Noor Rahimmah's husband, Hippolyte Tournier, 72, a retiree from the United Nations (UN) in Geneva said they met when both were working at the UN and married in 1985.
The septuagenarian, from Uruguay, also expressed thanks to the Malaysian Government and the state government for the ceremony to honour the victims of the Flight MH17 tragedy.
"We are grateful over the treatment extended to us, which bore great sensitivity. We also like to thank all Malaysians for their prayers and those who received us with kindness and openness. The whole nation was with us, grieving on our loss," he said.
Rahimmah was among the 43 Malaysians killed in the Flight MH17 tragedy.
The aircraft crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17, as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board.
The Boeing 777-200 aircraft is believed to have been shot over the troubled country. – Bernama