SM tycoon’s granddaughter Jan Catherine Sy dies at 29

Jan Catherine Sy, granddaughter of the late SM tycoon Henry Sy Sr, died on Thursday, March 18, her family announced in a statement. She was 29.

“Dear Family and Friends, tonight, March 18, 2021 at 6:35 pm, our dearest daughter Jan Catherine Sy is now with the Lord Jesus already. Blessed be the name of the LORD. You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord, BLESSED BE YOUR NAME!” the statement read.

The statement was shared on social media through Sy’s relatives.

Sy is the eldest of the 3 children of Henry Sy Jr, SM Prime Holdings chair.

In a message to family and friends on Friday, March 19, Sy Jr said his daughter had a heart “for the poor, the broken, [and] anyone and everyone [who] came into her life.”

“She lived a life with Jesus for Jesus…. We know that God is good. We know that there’s pain in this moment but the joy we have in Christ is beautiful. God’s purpose for Jan is more powerful than anything we can hope to imagine,” he added.

Sy Jr’s family are active members of evangelical church Christ’s Commission Fellowship.

Sy served as assistant vice president and project director for SM Development Corporation (SMDC), the residential development arm of the family business which is run by her father.

In 2019, she launched The Good Guys, SMDC’s community development program.

Sy graduated with a degree in business and economics at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, according to a profile by Inquirer Lifestyle.

“I didn’t grow up on computer games; I’m not used to staring at the screen. I was the kid who played outside and climbed trees,” she said.

Sy was also an equestrienne and competed in international events.

Her grandfather Henry Sy Sr, who founded the SM Group and became the Philippines’ richest man, died on January 19, 2019, at the age of 94. – Rappler.com