Salih (Tom) Arif (19 Mar 1933 - 23 Apr 2021)

In loving memory of Salih Arif who sadly passed away on 23rd April 2021

Thank you for visiting this site, set up to commemorate the life of Salih (Tom) Arif who sadly passed away on the 23rd April 2021 after a year long battle with cancer.
Tom arrived in England as a teenager from rural Cyprus in the early 1950s without family or friends and very little understanding of English culture and language, not a great base to build a life, but due to hard work and a positive attitude he soon began to thrive.
He married Imelda on the 3rd of December 1955 at St Peter's and St Paul's church and together they raised 10 children. This led to 24 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
Gardening and nature were very important to him, every spare minute he had was spent in one of his gardens. Maybe the work coupled with the fresh air is what kept him young, - how many 87 year old's can climb a 12 foot ladder to prune trees? (See picture below) Often whilst walking in the mountains in Cyprus he would stop and pick a berry or leaf from a bush and eat it, saying we used to eat these when we were children.
He always enjoyed watching football, in the 60's along with his brother in law Joe, he would regularly be at Loftus Road watching QPR. After we had moved to Canvey Island in 1969, he would often be out on Sunday mornings at various cold and muddy football fields around Essex watching his 5 sons playing.
Anybody who ever worked with him will tell you he was the hardest working man they had ever met. This attitude to work was evident throughout his life, at any function be it a wedding, birthday party etc. he would always be helping, in the kitchen washing glasses sweeping floors stacking chairs,- whatever needed doing he was there.
Later in his life when thing got a bit easier, he spent a lot of time in his birth home of Cyprus where if needed, he could almost always be found in one of 4 places, working in his garden, sitting at a slot machine in the local casino, playing bowls at the Olive Press bowls club Lapta, where he was a well-respected player winning many trophies, or fast asleep on the couch in front of the TV.
He was a kind caring man with a natural intelligence which enabled him to adapt and improvise when necessary to achieve his goals. A good sense of humour he was never afraid to mock himself and was often seen wearing wigs or outrageous outfits for comic affect. (Pictures below)
He will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.
The family invite you to share your memories and maybe a few pictures so that together we can celebrate his life.

The funeral will take place on the 1st of June at 2:30pm at Basildon crematorium. If you would like to attend please let us know so we can check there are spaces. Alternatively the funeral will be streamed live so please go to the website below to watch it
https://www.obitus.com
Username: powa2263
Password: 494455

As our dad believed flowers should be left to grow we would prefer you not to buy flowers but instead make a donation to a charity of your choice or you could contribute to his memorial bench.