In memory of Riaz Rahamatullah

The world lost another good one this week. I am sad to have to say this but my uncle Riaz Rahamatullah passed away Tuesday night. I am having a hard time coming to terms with this as I am sure a lot of you might be.

You see if you had ever met Riaz, you would know what I am talking about. Riaz had this overwhelming ability to leave a lasting impression on people. He was infectious. But for me there was more to him. He was one half of my last Eide memories of a time when things were a little simpler, back when we were children. Back then we as a family had a tradition of going to the Calgary Stampede every year. It started with my Grandmother who would take me, my sister and cousins, and it continued on with our Aunt Tara and Uncle Riaz. One of my fondest such memories at the Stampede was the year where we all got separated. Now I can’t remember exactly how but at some point we managed to get split up, Tara had half of us and Riaz the other half. This was in a day and age where cell phones were not a common thing so you can imagine everybody’s panic. All I can remember was thinking how remarkably calm they were while this was all happening. Tara and Riaz were that last link to these Eide memories before I started working for the family business, memories that I cherish.

Now I had the pleasure of working with Riaz at Mr. Fireplace for over 15 years and I know I speak for everyone their in saying that he will be greatly missed. Like I said before, Riaz was infectious. No matter what was going on in his day, if he saw you he would smile, say something outlandishly crazy and as a whole just lighten your day.

What I loved about Riaz in my adult years was I felt like I could talk to him about anything. He was that kind of guy that when you talked to him, he would not only seem genuinely interested in what you were saying, but also would remember and be sure to ask you about them again in the future. He would always be sure to ask how the kids or my wife were doing with their different medical issues or how home schooling was going or just about anything that we had talked about in the past.

Another thing about Riaz that absolutely shown right through him was his love for his kids. When Riaz would talk about my cousins Shaan and Jamal he would glow. He loved them to the moon and back and was so proud of the men that they were becoming.

Riaz, you were taken too suddenly from us. Heaven got a little better the day it took you away from us, but the world got a little darker. But it will not be dark for long, your legacy will not only continue on in your children, but in the life’s of everyone that had the pleasure to know you. We love you and you will be greatly missed.