Rakeeb Mohammed

It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of our father and grandfather Rakeeb Mohammed. Rakeeb was born on December 1, 1943 in San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago to Habib and Jumratan Mohammed. He passed away at age 78 on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in Toronto in the palliative care wing of Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto with family at his side.

Rakeeb grew up in a poor but close-knit, loving family. He was youngest of nine children and lost his father to a hunting accident when Rakeeb was only a few months old. He made friends easily and was well loved by many in his community. He worked hard at a very young age, tending the family’s animals and helping his mom work as a milk vendor. Music was a big part of his life and Rakeeb enjoyed singing with a group of his friends.

Later, he began work at WASA, Trinidad’s Water and Sewer Authority. At the same time, Rakeeb tended his garden, livestock and other animals.

Rakeeb met the love-of-his life Marina Temull and they were married after a short courtship. They raised their three children, Ian, Nevada and Nylia in the home Rakeeb built on El Socorro Road.

In 1974, the family moved to Canada, ultimately settling in Winnipeg near other family that had immigrated earlier. Rakeeb held several jobs, working as a welder for most of his career. Rakeeb loved Canada, but his heart was always in Trinidad, participating in Winnipeg’s Caripeg Caribbean Festival and visiting his home country whenever possible.

Rakeeb loved nature and spent as much time as possible outdoors, tending to his yard and garden in Winnipeg. Ensuring their children’s Canadian education was important to Marina and Rakeeb and all three of their children attended university prior to their careers. Their son Ian works as a Registered Respiratory Therapist and lives in Bathurst, New Brunswick with his wife Chantal. Their son Nevada works as a Sr. Portfolio Manager at TD Wealth and lives in Vancouver with his wife Calle. Their daughter Nylia works as an Chartered Professional Accountant and lives in Toronto with her husband Dan.

Marina and Rakeeb have four grandsons, Joshua, Jonathan, Alistair and Kennedy. After their retirements in Winnipeg, Marina and Rakeeb moved to Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto to remain close to their daughter and her family. They enjoyed frequent travel, including trips to the UK when Nevada and Calle lived in London, as well as Caribbean cruises and regular visits to Vancouver.

The last few years have been particularly challenging after Marina’s diagnosis with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in 2020. Rakeeb took incredible care of his dear wife at home until her passing in September, 2020. He did this not knowing that he too had the same, incurable lung disease. Rakeeb was diagnosed with IPF in May, 2021. Rakeeb managed his difficult condition well, living on his own until a week before his passing.

Rakeeb made friends easily and was loved by almost everyone who met him. He was a kind man, always with a positive, supportive comment for those around him. He had strong a connection with nature and the outdoors and could talk for hours about mangoes, donkeys or Trinidad. He loved spending time with his family and doted on his grandsons. He was always physically active, walking or exercising in the gym or playing baseball or tennis with his grandsons.

We are so sad to lose our father and grandfather. Rakeeb will be missed by hundreds of people across Canada, the US and the Caribbean. The family is grateful to the incredible team at Sunnybrook Hospital’s palliative care ward for their care and compassion over the final days his life.

Should you desire and in lieu of any flowers, donations to the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation would be gratefully received. https://cpff.ca/

Fond memories may be shared at www.kanejerrettnorthyork.ca for the Mohammed family.