Good afternoon,

I’d like to start off by thanking Fr. Gregory for celebrating the Mass, family and friends for helping us in preparing for today and Ray, Ruth and Edlyn for providing the music and songs at the mass.

Dear Family and Friends,

On behalf of our family, thank you for attending today to celebrate the life and memories of my Dad, Peter, and thank you for the many condolence calls, and tributes posted on Dad’s memorial website. Our family takes great comfort in the memories and how he was so well liked and respected by all he knew.

On January tenth, just two weeks after he passed, Dad & Mum would have celebrated their sixty-sixth wedding anniversary.

Certainly a legacy of love, a strong relationship, family values and traditions he left Terry, Sandy and I, his grandchildren Ryan, Amanda, Sean and Jeremy, and great grandchild Olivia.

In the days after Dad’s passing, and reading some of the tributes that many of you posted, I thought about what I could say that would honor his life. The thoughts of this song, while not the full one, will hopefully give a perspective of his life from my eyes…

A Tinker, A Tailor, A Soldier, A Sailor…

A Tinker – In my mind a Thinker, as in thought process, as opposed to tinkering with things. While Dad was a great sportsman and competed in soccer, snooker, table tennis and darts, he was also a great intellect. He had a wide perspective on the world and life. He read the newspaper from cover to cover every day, in thirst of knowledge and awareness, always engaging in conversation with anyone, and at any level. While strong in his own opinions, he was a listener and respectful of other points of view, eager to debate, or lend insight and advice. Faith was one of Dad’s key cornerstones in life. Always believing in a higher purpose, teachings of the church, setting his moral compass around it, and offering us the guidance and support as we grew up.

A Tailor –Dad enjoyed working with his hands, whether it was major projects around the house, fixing his cars, and the many repairs that he knew nothing about, but challenged himself to learn and accomplish. Family life was another cornerstone for Dad. Like a tailor, he crafted a family life for us that had all the fun things as we grew up – picnics, camping, fishing, social events, or just hanging out with friends at the club. On the more serious side, he instilled moral values, the importance of education, and reaching our potential to be the very best that we could be, no matter what it was. The most enjoyable times for him, were at family get-togethers surrounded by all of us, enjoying a good meal, and of course a drink or two!

A Soldier – Dad’s plight to help and fight for family and friends was one of his passions. Much like a soldier, he was selfless and sacrificed much when it came to family. Everything he did was in defending our future, to provide the best possible outcome. When it came to friends and people in need, he was the first to offer help, whether it was assistance to immigrate to Canada, or open up his home to give newcomers a start in making a new life here. 

His largest challenge in life was with his health. He battled through dislocating his shoulder in his 50s, a heart attack and bypass surgery in his 60s, and then falling and breaking his hip in his early 70s. His final battle for the past eight years was with dementia, and that was one he lost. 

Through all of this, Dad marched on and never sat still. Always trying to self-heal and not burden, or worry us …. a soldier indeed.

A Sailor – Dad was born in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, in East Africa. His mother passed away early in his life and he spent most of his childhood in Goa, India. At the age of seventeen, he moved back to Tanzania where he met Mum, married, and Terry and Sandy were born. He then moved the family to Nairobi, Kenya, where I was born. As a Sales Manager, he travelled the lonely and treacherous roads between Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda, often all night, so he could get to his business meeting the next morning. As political turmoil came to East Africa in the early 70s, Dad made a brave decision to give up all and move us to a more stable future in England. A couple of years later he realized that this was not our final destiny, and made another brave move to relocate us to Canada. When I look back at this, I think of a poster we have in our home, that shows a picture of a ship out at sea in a turbulent storm. The quote by Magellan goes like this …

“The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficient reason to remain at shore … unlike the mediocre, intrepid spirits seek victory over those things that seem impossible. It is with an iron will that they embark on the most dangerous of all endeavors ... to meet the shadowy future and without fear, conquer the unknown”.

Dad was truly a sailor.

Dad had fallen in November, broke his hip bone, and was on pain medication which left him sedated for much of the time. A few days before he passed, I had a special moment with him that I would like to share. As I was sitting with him this one evening, he started rubbing his wrists and would not stop. Not knowing why he was doing this, I held his hands and tried to calm him. Well…that got him to push back, and become more alert… as if to say I’m not done yet… I still have some fight in me. The pushing back turned into what I would say was a dance, holding my hands and waving, almost to the music that was playing in the background. In those few minutes looking into his eyes told the whole story. I saw in him, what I’ve seen all my life … a man and a father who never gave up, determined as ever to march on and conquer life’s challenges. A man who stood Tall, Strong and Proud, but yet was Gentle and Humble, Serious but Playful, Worldly and Confident, but also Caring and Unassuming. That evening, his loving smile and quiet nod said ... “don’t worry… I’ll be ok.”

Dad … you are my hero, a hero to our entire family, and many of your friends.

You are now our angel, and will forever continue to inspire and guide us with your presence. 

Thank You!

A Memorial Mass was held in Peter's memory on Saturday February 2, 2019 at 11:00am at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Parish, 5255 Thornwood Drive, Mississauga, ON, L4Z 3J3

Mass:

Celebrant: Fr. Gregory (Sts. Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Parish)

First Reading: Jessie Magoon (Peter & Elise’s niece)

Second Reading: Sandy Pinto

Prayers of the Faithful:

Amanda Charlebois (nee Pinto)

Christine Gomes (Peter & Elise’s niece)

Kelly Pinto (spouse of Peter & Elise’s nephew Janson)

Offertory Gifts: Andrew D’Souza & Christopher Gomes (Peter & Elise’s nephews)

Ushers: Ryan Pinto & Jeremy Pinto

Music & Songs:

Ray DeSouza (Peter’s cousin), Ruth Alba (Neighbor of Judy & Dave), Edlyn (Church Choir)

A "Celebration of Life" reception was held immediately following the mass in the church hall.

Tribute to Peter: David Pinto

Grace: Terry Pinto

"People will never forget how you made them feel" - Maya Angelou

Peter loved to travel and explore; his life’s journey having spanned four continents. From his early days in Goa, India, he travelled an ocean to fall in love and marry Elise in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. A new job took him to Nairobi, Kenya from where he travelled the East African roads as a sales manager for the British company, Oxo. During East Africa’s turbulent early 70’s, his job, then with the Brooke Bond Oxo Group, took him and the family to Luton, England. And finally, in a search of a better life for his family, he crossed another ocean to make Toronto, Canada his home in 1975. 

Peter loved sports and nature; he played soccer on Tanganyika's national team, was a champion level snooker player and loved to fish. A born salesman, his love of interacting and helping people was evident in his forgoing job advancement with the TTC to continue as a subway driver till his retirement. In his retirement, he continued to make an impact on many lives by working with an immigration consultant to help others emigrate to, and enjoy a new life in Canada. Peter also loved animals; from a pet monkey, to his devoted dachshund, Susie in Nairobi to his last dog Blondie in Canada who he rescued from abuse. Peter had a great sense of humour, loved to tease and loved music. He was also talented at fixing things, from his cars to D.I.Y. home projects. 

Above all else, Peter loved to entertain and be surrounded by family and friends. One of his most favourite events was having all the family over for a great meal, with an always full table of goodies prepared by Elise, some fun and of course … a drink or few! At times like these, though he loved to talk, he would often sit quietly and just watch over everyone with love and pride in what he believed was his and Elise’s greatest achievement – their family.

The family is deeply grateful for the outstanding care that Peter received at the Meadowvale wing at the Village of Erin Meadows, with special thanks to Chi Awadh, Nirmala Mery, Dr. Persad and the many devoted caregivers who interacted and cared for him daily. Your attention and devotion to Peter while in your care is deeply appreciated – thank you!

“A life full of enthusiasm, hope and contributions through one’s own talent is a life well lived.” - Anonymous

My Dad was a very special man! I feel privileged and blessed to have had him as a role model and mentor, and as a loving and supportive father.

There are so many memories over a lifetime so well lived …. as a child growing up in Kenya, I remember drive-in movie nights, picnics, camping and fishing trips and longer road trips to vacation at the beach in Malindi and to Dar-es-Salaam to visit family. Dad was away a lot for work and when he came home, one of his favourite things to do was to make up a big plate of food and feed us as we waited like little birds with mouths wide open :-)  When we moved to England, there are many fond memories of Dad and I spending time together Friday evenings doing the weekly groceries and Saturday train rides to London to work with him at the market. Over our 40 plus years in Canada, there are a million moments and memories to treasure … from celebrating milestones, to road trips to Washington D. C. to visit family, vacations and cottage trips, dozens of family meals, teasing and laughter over a scotch (or few) and so much more … In these most recent years, my memories are of our countless hours together, most especially when we were alone and just taking a walk in the mall and sharing time over a coffee.

Dad’s most enduring legacy, taught not only in words, but by the example of his life … “to work hard and always do your very best” will always resonate; and his counsel, support, praise and love were always a beacon … even when there were no more words left, only a loving glance, a twinkle in his eyes and a gentle smile.

Dad, the sadness of your loss is overwhelming. I take comfort in knowing you are finally at peace, and that you are now, and will forever be, watching over me.

“A father holds his daughter’s hand for a short while, but he holds her heart forever” - Unknown

To us we knew Peter Pinto as Grandpa. We feel very blessed to have shared our childhood with him, celebrated our milestones as we entered into adulthood and created many memories along the way. 

He was our sports fan, always there to cheer us on from the sidelines or a smiling face at the finish line; A comedian, he was, never a shortage of jokes and tricks to fill our visits; He was our storyteller, our teacher and our champion always encouraging us to follow our passions and pursue our dreams. 

Our Grandpa holds a special place in our hearts, our special memories of him will be cherished forever; summer vacations at Grandpa and Grandmas, travelling to different countries,  fishing at the cottage and many more. We were very lucky to have 29+ years with him, and while these words could never do justice to how we feel about him, we hope it honours the memories of family, happiness and laughter he gave to each of us. 

Ryan, Amanda, Sean & Jeremy

"Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure" - Renee Wood