Gilbert D'Souza
Tribute to Gilbert D’Souza by Flavian Pinto
Delivered at St. John’s Dixie Cemetery & Crematorium,
Mississauga, on 16th September 2022.
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,
Love leaves a memory no one can steal.
That is the glory of the human beings. We are capable of being so much to so many, but the ALMIGHTY we believe, need the services of good people and that is why, HE took Gilbert away on September 11, 2022. His close family, relatives and friends are greatly pained at the untimely demise, of this sincere and wonderful human being.
Gilbert was born in Bombay to Maggie and Joseph D’souza on September 12, 1951 and was brought up in Mangalore. After completing his graduation at St. Aloysius college, he went to Bombay and worked for Reserve Bank of India, Bakelite Hylam, and Hindustan Lever. Later he joined African & Eastern as a sales manager in the Middle East. Since 1990 he had his own company Al Taqa Equipment, in Abu Dhabi which flourished over a period of 28 years due to his sustained hard work.
In 2012 Gilbert migrated to Canada and became an active member of the community. His contribution to the community is immense; first as an active member of Canara World foundation and later as chairman of Canadian Canara Vision since from 2018 onwards. He was also a very successful investor.
I came to know him intimately over the last 10 years, although I have heard about him from the last 50 years! Within a short period of time, we became very close friends and remained till the end. The best time of our life was when four of us went to Kenya on a holiday, in May 2022, where we had an amazing experience, mainly because of Gilbert.
I do not know another Mangalorean person, who is so well connected and so well known around the world, especially in: Mangalore, Bombay, Bahrain, Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Canada. He is famous because of his generosity and love for singing and music. He loved singing so much he was nick named as “PodhansoPisoGibba”. He has touched very many people’s hearts because of his caring and sharing nature. His specialty was in keeping in touch with his numerous friends around the globe, which he did until his end.
Gilbert’s love of life was his elegant, adorable, and very capable wife Janette. They were a perfect couple, Gilbert would take care of the outside world, and Janette was the queen at home. He wanted to entertain a lot, but was kitchen challenged like me, but Janette made up for him, without any hesitation. Today, although Janette misses Gilbert very dearly, she has the satisfaction that she helped him to live fullest life like a king without any compromises.
Behind every successful man there is an able woman. On May 18, 1980, when they got married, Janette took her marriage vows and said “I Janette take youGilbert as my true and lawful husband. I will be true to you in good times and inbad in sickness and health, I will be true to you all the days of my life”.
These marriage vows have great meaning. However, meaning is one thing and the sincerity with which the vows are taken is another thing. It is only on the sickness and the death of a spouse, that sincerity with which the survivor took the vows on the marriage day, can be truly tested. In saying this, I have in mind the tender loving care Janette rendered to Gilbert during his heart bypass surgery, first stroke in Mangalore, and the last stroke few weeks ago.
Here I take a bow and salute Janette for selfless sacrifices she has done for her husband.
Gilbert leaves behind his wife Janette, and his children Gordan, Jean/Johan, and Gail, who knew him as their loving and caring father. His brother Robert and his sister Juliet have lost a pillar of the family. Through marriage he got another set of siblings late Alwyn and Sylvia. He was their all, and their all now has gone to eternity.
Entire community mourn him today. His family will, of course miss him most of all. I am sure that they will take comfort in the fact that so many others will miss him too, for many reasons. His family members knew he was well respected, but it is gratifying to see how many others will genuinely miss dear Gilbert.
I think he will be surprised if he saw so many people gathered to mourn him. It would not occur to him that he became so popular in Toronto, although he lived mostof the time overseas. Yet the very fact that so manyhave gathered to celebrate his life says much more about him and his personality than mere words.
Today, I am sure Gilbert has taken his place with the apostles and saints. We will surely miss him forever. May the ALMIGHTY give strength and courage toall the family members and especially Janette to bear this tremendous loss.
God loves some people and one day asks them to join him in heaven to make them reach the ultimate peace of life, and there the journey ends. Gilbert leaves behind lovely memories and we on earth believe that ‘Those who bloom in the hearts of othersnever fade away’.
And so, with our hearts full of grief and our lips filled with thanks and praise to God for giving Gilbert 70 wonderful years; Gilbert, we wish you GODSPEED and GOODBYE TILL WE MEET AGAIN.