Alias Manjothi

Alias will be dearly missed by his children, Mohamed Arif and Zeitun of Montreal, Anisa (Bryan Messier) of Sainte-Sophie, Saira (Louis Hopper) of Stamford, CT; his grandsons, Aaron Rey Hopper and Luke Ilyas Hopper; his brother Noormohamed Majothi (late Yasmin) and his family; his sister Mariam Manjothi (late Aboo Osman) and her family; as well as the mother of his children, Hamida Abdulla Manjothi and numerous (great) nieces, (great) nephews and extended family members & friends in Canada, the US, England and Kenya.

Born in Iganga, Uganda on June 12, 1943, Al was the third and youngest child of the late Fatima Bachu of Uganda and late Haroon Majothi of India.

After losing his mother as a child, ten-year-old Alias was sent to live with an uncle in Kenya and began working in his garage. It was a difficult life, Al would say, but he was grateful to learn a trade. Tragedy hit once again when he was 23 and lost his father, but Al kept his chin up and was driven to create a better future for himself.

Officially on his own and now back in Uganda, Alias became a skilled vehicle electrician and worked for Peugeot for ten years. During this time he married and was overjoyed to become a father. The first two of his four children were born in Kampala.

In 1972, more difficult times ensued.

Following a coup d’etat by Idi Amin the previous year, Asians born in Uganda were stripped of their citizenship and given 90 days to leave the country or face death. Alias and his young family became stateless overnight.

Fortunately after 40 days, they were provided emergency passports by the Red Cross and able to escape on the first flight bound for Austria where they would live for nine months at Traiskirchen refugee camp, which still exists today.

While at Traiskirchen, Alias found work as an auto mechanic in Vienna so he left early in the morning before his children woke up, and returned at night after they were asleep. He saved his wages to provide for his family and in 1973, Alias and his family of four were accepted as permanent residents of Canada. They landed in Montreal in May 1973.

Although Alias could communicate in Cutchi, Swahili, Urdu, Gujurati, Hindi and English, he now found himself in a French-speaking province.

Undeterred, Alias enrolled in a French language program sponsored by the Quebec government. He attended classes in La Prairie from Monday to Friday for six hours a day, for twenty weeks. Following his French immersion studies, he found a job in Joliette, an hour northeast of Montreal, near his brother who had recently settled there.

Two Canadian daughters born in Joliette completed the family of six that Al had always wanted and he proudly became a Canadian citizen the first chance he got. Alias never complained about paying taxes and always reminded his children what a privilege it is to be able to vote in elections.

Alias worked at Drainville Auto in Joliette for numerous years, where he befriended Fernand Dufresne, who would play an integral part of helping Alias adjust to life in a new country. The friendship lasted half a century and Al was incredibly touched that Fernand traveled to see him in his final days so they could share memories, laughs and hug one last time.

Alias also worked as an auto mechanic for 17 years at Canadian Tire in Joliette and finally at C.A.R.E. International in Montreal until he retired.

Al loved to learn and loved technology. He was ahead of his time when he installed a small TV and VHS player in the family minivan so his kids could watch movies on road trips. He was probably the only person who read instruction manuals cover-to-cover before operating any new device and delighted in discovering hidden features on his TV, iPhone and other electric gadgets. While in the hospital on high flow oxygen, he even requested the instruction manual for his Panasonic home phone so he could learn how to retrieve voicemails for his land line remotely! He was a true out-of-the box thinker and fixer of all things.

Despite a tumultuous start to life, Al was a resilient man with a gentle soul who became a social butterfly in his retirement years. He loved participating in the events and activities at the Centre de Jour St. Henri and cared deeply for his friends there. Thank you to Sandra Tickner and Monique Robert for making it possible for Monsieur Manjothi to say goodbye to his friends via video chat. He passed peacefully the very next day.

Alias passed only two months after his aggressive lung cancer diagnosis. The family would like to thank the incredible team from Mount Sinai Palliative Care, CLSC Benny Farm and Nova Home Care that supported Alias in his final weeks.

Al chose to celebrate his life with family while he was still here. Wherever he may be now, we know he is showing off his radiant smile, making friends and eating well.

In lieu of a service, the family invites you to honour his memory privately or with loved ones as you see fit. Al will be with you in spirit, raising a cup of tea, coffee or a pint of beer to a life well-lived.

He may not have won the jackpot in all his years of playing the lotto, but he definitely won at the game of life.

May we all be as serene as he was when his time came, and may he forever rest in peace.