Abdul Rashid Salleh

Born on April 10, 1934 to Salleh Rajub Salleh and Sakina Anna Salleh in Hong Kong, Abdul spent his childhood and working life in Hong Kong, until he retired and settled in Vancouver with his wife and children.

We the family cherish the memories of Abdul’s love, guidance, and unwavering support throughout our lives. Abdul had a keen memory and sharp observation, especially with numbers, places, dates, and time. He won at most mahjong and card games as he would memorise everyone’s hands by observing how other players played during the game. His sense of direction was also so good that it didn’t take long before he had his new home city mapped out in his head, a very helpful human GPS even if he himself didn’t enjoy driving much.

Growing up during the difficult period of war time, Abdul developed a sense of frugality that often made us smile and reflect upon the way we conduct life. He treasured so much the valuable clothings and gifts that he received, to a point that he would not open or use the new items until his old clothing was worn out. At the end he still had “new” clothing fresh from the packaging still not opened, some for over 30 years. We fondly remember competing amongst ourselves to discover the next “treasure trove” that he left behind during each house-moving and even after his passing. These boxes of restaurant napkins, unused face masks, sachets of condiments and teabags could last years for the entire family. As well, a chest full of still unopened medical oils, cream, and medicine had been there, as if they were meant to be for our use, just in case.

Abdul had very few and only very simple wishes for himself; for example, he enjoyed simple food. In addition, he was a man of few words and more actions. Spending time with him was stress-free and easy-going. Even as he was not feeling so well in the final months, he only had the simplest requests. He made it easy for us to choose between the important decisions of our own lives and caring for him.

In his youth, Abdul excelled in sports, tennis and softball in particular, and made it to school teams at Queen's College, Hong Kong, his alma mater. He continued playing these sports well after he graduated. His left-hand serve and pitch was so powerful and unique that contributed to his and his team’s winning. Abdul had a fulfilling career as an enforcement officer of court orders in the British Hong Kong government, rising to the position of Chief Bailiff before his retirement. In retirement, he enjoyed gardening, traveling, and spending time with family, especially the grandchildren, as well as Timothy the cat brought from Hong Kong.

Abdul was the beloved husband to Anna Man Lar, cherished father to Siddique, Abu, and Amina, doting grandfather to Kaden and Amaris, as well as a dear friend to many. Being the eldest amongst his siblings, Abdul was preceded in death by his brother Abdul Mutalib and sister Annabelle. He is survived by his brother Baker and sister Yasmine.

In lieu of funeral service, the family has bid final farewell to Abdul in a closed setting. Abdul was a fighter until the end. He mentioned he admired Timothy the family cat being a "fighter till the end" even though he might not have anticipated the last leg of his life's journey to take on a certain resemblance. This was surely an attribute that he admired, and he lived up to it. Abdul’s presence will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him. May he rest in peace, surrounded by the love and memories he left behind.