Mr. Anthony Francis Francis Miranda

Francis was born Dec 4, 1937 on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania born to Jacinto & Deudita Miranda, the oldest of 7 children.

He grew up in Zanzibar and was part of the close knit Goan community in Zanzibar. He met the love of his life Rosy on a hockey trip to Dar es Salaam. They got married on 1964 and later moved to Dar es Salaam so that Rosy could be with her family. They have two children Sandra & Domenica. Francis and Rosy had lived out their vows taking care of each other for 47 years.

Francis was a dedicated and devoted family man and all you ever wanted in a husband, father, grandfather, father in law, son, brother, uncle and friend. He gave his family the best of life, working long hours into the night and striving to make a good living to ensure his family was comfortable. He loved his princess Rosy; taking care of all of her needs and wishes. He treasured his two girls Sandra & Domenica who are the light of his life and adored his grandchildren Stacey, Jillian & Jesse. He is the pillar of our family. In Francis and Rosy we see unconditional love between two people, where Francis took care of Rosy until his illness and Rosy took care of Francis until his demise. What a great example of living out your marriage vows to the end.

Francis spent 38 years working in the banking industry starting out in 1957 working with The Standard Bank at 20 years old. He went from being an accounting clerk to managing many larger branches. He left the bank to run a successful construction company until he immigrated to Canada in 1988. On moving to Canada he rejoined the banking industry and worked for CIBC and Intria until his illness in 2000.

He loved people and has touched many lives. He always had a warm charming smile and a few kind words for anyone that he encountered. Francis stood for what he believed in and was never afraid to speak his mind. He was a great listener and an amazing problem solver. He would get involved when no one else wanted to step in and would do anything he could to bring people together to resolve the situation and make peace with everyone.

He had a knack for numbers and managing business operations. He had a sharp memory, remembering all of the small details. He never needed a calculator as he did it all in his head, hence his nickname “Computa”. He was a Treasurer on many a committee and made sure everything was balanced to the T. You could not get a penny past him…

He was a man of great faith and was close to his God, giving back to the Church by being on Church committees and sharing his talent for managing business and accounting.

He loved his Goan community and served on many committees including the Dar es Salaam Institute and the Catholic Youth Club. He cared for his Goan heritage and was instrumental in bringing the Goan Great Entertainers Jacint Vaz, Bab Peter and Lorna to do a show in Dar es Salaam.

He loved playing field hockey and when he could not play any longer he coached and mentored other field hockey players. He sponsored the City Rollers Field Hockey team of upcoming Goan hockey players, many who now live in Toronto passing on his love of hockey through these young players.

Francis loved the outdoors and was a part of the “Weekenders”, going on picnics and fishing on weekends. These are some of the best memories spent with his family and friends.

There are so many things that we have all learnt from Francis. His legacy lives - he lived each day as though it was his last. In his illness he showed us how to stay positive and accept Gods will in our lives. He persevered through his illness and has made us strong and courageous. He has taught us many lessons through his illness and we are all better human being because of this.

To Francis the head of our family, our pillar and our strength we will miss you, as you are no longer with us. You have touched us all in so many ways and we are all better human beings because of that. Though we cant see you anymore we know you are now an angel continue to give us strength and guide us in our journey here on earth.

As the words of the song Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton says

"We know we must be strong and carry on - so till we meet in again Heaven….

Rest in Peace Francis

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A Poem To Our Loving Grandpa..............

A smile, a laugh or a simple tear,

The emotions you bring to us come so clear.

Memories of you live on in our hearts and thoughts,

You've shown courage and faith in the battles you have fought.

The strength that you've shown, gives us hope to live on,

You will always be guiding us although you are gone.

You fought the tiresome fight and you did not refuse,

You fought until your very last breathe, we all knew.

We cry because you are no longer here,

But we smile because the pain is over.

You are a pillar of strength, bringing loved ones near,

Knowing you are at rest gives us closure.

We are blessed to have you with us,

But now we are blessed to have you watching over us.

Your generosity and love generates heart warming smiles,

Your youthful spirit will gather all from miles.

From your loving grandchildren Stacey, Jillian & Jesse

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The Gift of Life

There is a gift in life, that we cannot buy,

That's very rare and true.

It's a gift of a wonderful father,

Like the one we had in you.

Not a day do we forget you.

In our hearts you are always near,

Behind our smile there are many tears.

For a loving father we love so much,

Silent thoughts, tears unseen,

Still wishing it was a dream.

Lovingly remembered

Your wife & children together with their families.