Suhailah Noah

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Noah is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Suhailah. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Suhailah Mohamed Noah SSM SPMT
سهيلة محمد نوح‎
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
In role 15 January 1976 – 16 July 1981
Monarchs	Yahya Petra Ahmad Shah
Prime Minister	Hussein Onn
Preceded by	Rahah Noah
Succeeded by	Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali
Spouse of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
In role 13 August 1973 – 15 January 1976
Monarchs	Abdul Halim Yahya Petra
Prime Minister	Abdul Razak Hussein
Deputy	Hussein Onn
Preceded by	Norashikin Mohd Seth
Succeeded by	Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali
Personal details
Born	(1931-10-26)26 October 1931 Muar, Johor, Unfederated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died	4 October 2014(2014-10-04) (aged 82) Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Resting place	Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur
Spouse	Hussein Onn ​ ​ (m. 1948; died 1990)​
Children	6 (including Hishamuddin Hussein)
Parent(s)	Mohamed Noah Omar (father) Maimun Abdul Manaf (mother)
Relatives	Rahah Noah (sister)

Tun Suhailah binti Mohamed Noah (Jawi: سهيلة بنت محمد نوح; 26 October 1931 – 4 October 2014) was the widow of the 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia Hussein Onn and the Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia from 15 January 1976, until 16 July 1981. She was the mother of Hishammuddin Hussein, who is the former Minister of Defence.

Biography

Suhailah Noah was born on 26 October 1931 in Muar, Johor. Her father, Mohamed Noah Omar, was the first Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (1959–1964). Suhailah's sister, Rahah Noah, is the widow of second Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein.

Suhailah married Hussein Onn in 1948. They had six children, including their fourth child, Hishammuddin Hussein. Their eldest daughter, Datin Roquaiya Hanim (born 1949), died from breast cancer in 2005.

Hussein Onn served as Prime Minister from 1976 to 1981, making Suhailah the spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Her husband died on 29 May 1990.

Suhailah was awarded the title of "Tun" by the Federal Government of Malaysia in 1990.

Death

Suhaila Noah died on 4 October 2014, at 12:30 a.m. in Damansara Specialist Hospital in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, at the age of 82. She had outlived her husband by 24 years. Her funeral and burial was held at the Makam Pahlawan (Heroes Mausoleum) in Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur. She was buried near the grave of her husband, Hussein Onn (inside dome) and the grave of her father, Mohamed Noah Omar. Prior to her death, she resided as well as spending her old age in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, which was her family's residence in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area.

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

• Malaysia:
  • Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) – Tun (1990)
• Terengganu:
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Terengganu (SPMT) – Dato' (1977)

See also

• Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia