A hall where families gather
after a loss, and find order
Stonewake exists to give families in Sarawak a steady, practical hand with the paperwork that accumulates after a bereavement — at a pace that suits the family, not an office schedule.
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Stonewake began in Kuching in 2018 when its founder, having watched a close friend's family spend two years unable to settle the practical side of a parent's estate — not from unwillingness, but from not knowing where to start — decided that a calm, clearly scoped records service was what many families simply did not have access to.
The name comes from the idea of waking in a still place — a hall of stone, generous in its proportions, unhurried in its feeling. That is what Stonewake tries to be: a place families can come to when the ordinary rhythm of life has been interrupted, and where the work of sorting papers can happen without pressure.
From the outset, the scope of the work was deliberately kept narrow. Stonewake does not give legal advice. It does not value assets. It does not contact institutions on a family's behalf. What it does is sit with a family, help them understand what papers they hold, sort and label them clearly, build a reference file, and — where needed — point them toward the solicitors, accountants, and administrators who are qualified to handle the regulated parts of an estate.
Over the years the service has grown quietly, largely through word of mouth among families in Kuching and the surrounding Sarawak area. The team remains small by choice: every engagement is handled by a named coordinator who attends all appointments and produces all written materials themselves.
Founded
2018
Kuching, Sarawak
Scope
Records organisation, document indexing, practical steps briefings. No advice. No representation.
Area served
Kuching and the surrounding Sarawak region
What We Hold to
Honesty about what we do
Every service description states in plain terms what is included and — just as clearly — what is not. Families should never be uncertain about where Stonewake's work ends and a qualified professional's begins.
The family's pace
Appointments are spaced. Nothing is rushed. If a family needs to pause an engagement, we pause. The work will still be there when they are ready.
Documents in the family's hands
Originals never leave the family's possession. Scans go to storage the family controls. Stonewake retains only what is needed to describe the work done.
Written clarity
All checklists, gap lists, chronologies, and summary sheets are written in short, plain sentences. We do not use jargon where plain language will do.
The Team
Serena Lim
Founder & Lead Coordinator
Serena established Stonewake after a decade in records management and estate administration support. She attends all initial briefings personally.
Ahmad Tarmizi
Senior Document Coordinator
Ahmad leads the Papers Gathering Support and Archive Retainer engagements, building files and chronologies with care and consistency.
Joyce Wong
Client Liaison
Joyce manages enquiries, schedules appointments, and ensures families have the practitioner directories and written materials they need before each session.
How We Work
Written scope before every engagement
Before any paid work begins, we confirm in writing what is included, what is not, and the total cost. No surprises.
Named coordinator throughout
Families deal with one named person from enquiry to handover. That person attends all appointments and produces all materials.
Data handling under Malaysian law
Personal data is handled in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Malaysia). We hold only what is needed and retain nothing beyond the engagement period.
Consistent file structure
Every engagement follows the same naming convention, divider system, and contents page format so that any qualified professional picking up the file afterwards can orient themselves quickly.
Practitioner directories for Sarawak
Every service includes a directory of registered solicitors, accountants, and estate administrators practising in Sarawak, so families can engage qualified help without delay.
Right to pause or end
Families may pause any engagement without penalty. The terms covering this are stated in the written scope document provided before work begins.
Records support for families in Sarawak
Stonewake operates in Kuching and serves families across the Sarawak region who need help organising the papers that accumulate after a family member passes away. The work is practical and clerical: gathering documents, sorting them into a logical order, labelling them consistently, and building an indexed file that the family and their professional advisers can use.
Many families find themselves holding a collection of papers — bank statements, title documents, correspondence, insurance schedules, utility records — with no clear idea of what they have, what is missing, or what to do next. Stonewake provides a structured way through that collection without advising on its contents or acting in the family's name.
Families in Sarawak have access to a range of qualified professionals — solicitors, accountants, estate administrators — who are registered to handle the legal and financial aspects of a bereavement. Stonewake's role is to prepare families for those conversations: to ensure that when they sit down with a solicitor, they know what documents they hold and can locate them quickly.
The three services — a one-hour briefing, a five-week gathering support, and a five-month archive retainer — are priced to reflect the time and materials involved. Families may begin with the briefing and decide later whether they need further support. There is no obligation to proceed beyond each completed engagement.
Speak with us about what your family holds
An initial enquiry is always welcome. We will describe the service clearly and answer questions about what is and is not within scope before any engagement begins.
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