Arnold (Arnie) Gangasingh (28 Oct 1952 - 21 Jun 2017)

In loving memory of Arnold (Arnie) Gangasingh who sadly passed away on 21st June 2017

Arnold Gangasingh, my dad, was born in Trinidad on the 28/10/1952 to the proud parents of Janet and Sampson Gangasingh and was the third of seven siblings. My dad spent his childhood days in the countryside where he was practically raised by his grandparents. In 1958 his family moved to Arouca where he went to primary school. He was a very bright student and even excelled to where he won a college exhibition to attend a prestigious school Hillview College. There he completed his O levels and A levels with distinctions and after leaving high school my dad was employed as an aeronautical engineer at BWIA. He helped his parents with everything from helping his brothers and sisters with their school work, to contributing financially with the upkeep of the family home. His time at BWIA helped him to develop and master his technical skills. But, of course, he wanted more so he migrated to England in 1974. Whilst living there he became a very close friend of Melvin and Molly Bhaggan who introduced him to Shirley, his future wife. As the sparks flew the relationship blossomed into marriage and from this union came Tricia, Mark and Richard.

I know from growing up that my dad was lots of fun. All of my cousins and friends always said to me that he was the coolest uncle or father that they knew. Maybe, it’s because he was a man of few words which made him very intriguing. As anyone who knew him understood, he was a very serious and disciplined man, but he could never resist the opportunity to have a laugh with his friends and loved ones given half the chance. He always spent his free time taking us out on day trips with the whole family and loved going to new places and teaching us all about them. He loved playing cards and board games with us all sat around the table after a big meal, and enjoyed laughing as we all played. More recently, he enjoyed his time with my kids, his grand kids. He adored them like his own and always looked forward to see them growing up and finding out what new things he could teach them that day. He certainly opened up his heart to us all more since they came into his life. They were his biggest love and he would do anything for them.

His oldest Grandson, Marcus loved the fact that no matter what he wanted his granddad was always there for him. Syeshia, my little girl always loved the stories he told about back home in Trinidad and the things that he had to do for fun. For instance she loved the old music from back home and when he would just grab a bottle and a spoon to make a beat. I guess she loved how he could take something as simple as that and transform it into music that she had never heard before. His last grandson Kyle Arnold Gangasingh was his pride and joy and he would tease me sometimes about Kyle being very smart so he must be just like him.

To me, Dad’s finest quality was his patience and an naturally ability to listen. He wouldn’t exactly agree with you but he listened. It’s difficult to imagine him not being around now and I am not sure how we are all going to cope. What I can say is that Dad loved life his way. He was a very intelligent man but humble at the same time. He never showed off to anyone or acted as though he was better than them. He simply accepted people for how they were and was more interested in telling them about his fishes, what he was going to do next with his pond or improving things that were already working. My father was a kind, caring, warm hearted individual who showed love to his family in his own way, but fairly, which is rare today. What I am trying to say is, what I learned most from him, is how to be a dad that truly cares and serves his family.