Pastor Philip Chan, who dedicated his life to helping drug addicts and co-founded halfway house The Hiding Place with his wife Christina, died on Monday.

Mr Chan, who suffered from liver cancer, was 69.

His only child, Joaquim, a 39-year-old chef, said Mr Chan was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer in 2016 and his condition worsened last year. It was his second bout of the disease, after being struck with colorectal cancer in 2006.

Ms Chan said her father died peacefully in his sleep on Monday morning, leaving behind his wife, 73, and daughter. "I've been given ample time to prepare for this day. But no matter how much time is given, when it comes, it feels like I have been hit by a truck," she said. "Dad was like a crab, soft on the inside, firm and stern outside. My dad had a very big heart and he would give whatever he had to others. I will definitely miss him so much."

A former drug addict, Mr Chan used to work as a salesman in his father's trading firm and led a self-described "havoc" life of drinking and drugs up to his early 20s.

He was introduced to Christianity and stayed at the Christian halfway house House of Grace, which was set up by his wife before they married and he kicked his drug habit.

The couple later tied the knot and renamed the halfway house The Hiding Place in 1978. It housed and helped drug addicts to turn their lives around while also assisting gamblers and those hooked on alcohol.

In 1992, Pastor Chan was given the Life Insurance Association Award, which honours individuals and organisations that have given others a new lease of life.

Mr Tan Hock Seng, 62, a former drug addict, had known Pastor Chan for 39 years, since he went to stay at The Hiding Place.

Mr Tan, now a pastor and also a staff member at The Hiding Place, said of his first encounter with the Chans: "I couldn't understand why they were helping us as we were not the obedient kind and gave them lots of headaches. They did not gain financially from it.

"I learnt that they did it for the love of God. They sacrificed a lot to take care of us, living with us and sacrificing their privacy. They also had to raise funds to keep this place going."

He described Pastor Chan as a fatherly figure who was very wise.

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Mr Caleb Tan said Pastor Chan was the father he never had. The 46-year-old, a former drug addict, was raised by his grandmother and had no idea who his biological father was. He was in jail six times for drug and other offences.

When he was released in 2010, he went to The Hiding Place as he was homeless and experienced Pastor Chan's compassion.

For instance, he was preparing jam one day to make the pineapple tarts that The Hiding Place sold to raise funds when he was badly injured in a kitchen accident. He suffered extensive burns, had five broken ribs and his lungs collapsed.

Mr Tan said: "We have no blood relation but Pa (what he calls Pastor Chan) told me not to worry so much. He promised me The Hiding Place would take care of me. And even if The Hiding Place doesn't take care of me, Pa said he would personally take care of me."

He said Pastor Chan helped him to get back on the straight and narrow and taught him what it means to be a trustworthy man and a good husband. Said Mr Tan, who now works as a cook at The Hiding Place: "He always put others before him. And even when he was very ill, he still constantly worried about us."

Social worker Benny Thiam, 35, was a former drug addict who stayed at The Hiding Place for three years. He said Pastor Chan was a very forgiving and generous man who was always willing to give others a second chance. "I have learnt this from Pastor Chan - not to give up on someone and to give them a second chance," he said.

The wake is being held at The Hiding Place at 50, Jalan Lekar till tomorrow. The cortege leaves for Mandai Crematorium on Friday.