ForeverMissed
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His Life

MISSING YOU DADDY

January 2, 2015

There is a season and a time for everything under heaven. There is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-4). Everyone on earth experiences each of these emotions at some point in their pilgrimage. The life of our DADDY (EMMANUEL OLADELE SHOYINKA) was not an exemption on the veracity of this timeless truth. At the outset of his life, echoes of joy filled the Cherubim family when the household (of his late father and mother of blessed memory) was blessed with a bouncing baby boy in June 1949. He lost his father at a very tender age.So cherished by family members at infancy, he grew up to become a centre of attraction to many in his youth and a cynosure to countless souls in his old age.

He was enrolled at Methodist Boys High School for his high school studies. With a remarkable progress and achievement in his educational endeavour and in pursuit of a decent and reliable job career,BABA SHO joined the services of National Bank Lagos, where he started his banking career. Later on in years with upgraded responsibilities in the banking field ,he moved on to join the services of Chase Bank which later became Continental Merchant Bank in Lagos.While in the services of Continental Merchant Bank , he distinguished himself profoundly to the admiration of his employer and won the confidence, trust and respect of his colleagues.

After 33 years of meritorious service in the banking industry, he voluntarily retired so as to devote more time to his children, family, work of God and to start his own Farming business. In actualizing this goal , he ventured into private business of piggery farming. At this,he was well established and successful that he became the President of the Farmers Association in Oke- Aro, Lagos.

Daddy was a torchbearer for Christ.He was a committed and devoted christian in the Vineyard at Folawiyo Bankole Memorial Methodist Church where he contributed in no small way in building up the Choir from the scratch.He rose steadily from being a Choir boy Soprano, to Alto, to Tenor and Bass.He was also a member of the Methodist Boys’ Brigade. He was a very strong member of the Rising Star Society Of Folawiyo Bankole Memorial Methodist Church, Surulere, Lagos.
 

Lying before us, is the body of a man who was tied to us by an umbilical cord which was only broken by death! A gentle voice whose measured words of reasoning had positive impacts on many people around him. A mind whose thoughts have opened the doors to formal education in our community. A heart whose dreams gave hope to the despised and restoration of dignity to the dehumanised.

To the psychotherapist, an old man who cannot bid farewell to life appears as feeble and sickly as a young man who is unable to embrace it. During the early hours of Thursday, the 1st January 2015, BABA SHO passed on in the arms of his wife Mrs Florence Oluyemisi Shoyinka. A woman who stood by him from the journey of matrimonial life. Leaving One daughter and five surviving sons behind, we however say to death “be not proud”, though some have called you mighty and dreadful, you are not so. You are like a friend that alone can bring the peace his treasures cannot purchase, and remove the pain his physicians cannot cure. You only came to attest to BabaSho's favourite scripture: “..let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his (Numbers 23: 10b)”.