Obituary for Shiwkumar Singh
It is with both sadness and heartbreak we announce that on Monday May 9th, 2022 our loving Husband, Father, Father-in-law, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, Uncle and Friend; Shiwkumar (Baker) Singh was peacefully called to rest at the age of 92, where he will be joining his late wife Jesowda Ruby Singh. He will be dearly missed, but survived by all his loved ones, including his 7-Children and their Spouses, his 15-Grandchildren and their Spouses, and 17 Great-Grandchildren.
Baker was born on April 30th, 1930, in Hampton Court, Essequibo, Guyana. He was the fifth child of Jhatan and Ragubansi Singh, but the last survivor of the Singh family, being blessed with longevity and outliving his generation era. At the age of 5, Baker and his family relocated to DeKinderen due to his father’s new job opportunity. He was only able to attend school up until the age of 11, as being one of the elder brothers required him to start selling bread in order to help his parents. This is where he got the name “Baker”. During this time, he was also a cane cutter, working at the sugar plantation. While working selling bread one day, he met his soulmate, and so began the love story of Baker and Ruby. At the age of 21, Baker got married and shortly after their first child was born, she was the first out of their 10 children in total. As their family grew, they moved to Meten-meer-zorg where he built the house where they resided until he later migrated to Canada. During this time, Baker worked at the Uitvlught (I-FLUT) Estate Sugar Plantation, where he worked his way up to a high position. As a supervisor he was able to build relationships and have a positive influence on those around him.
In 1985 Baker migrated to Canada along with his wife and 2 youngest children, reuniting them with the rest of his family, beginning a new chapter of their lives. He worked an industrial job during his early years in Canada, to help support his family. In the early 90s it became just the two of them again, as their youngest child got married and moved out. During this time, he became an integral part of the community, for example, attending religious services at the temple and becoming a member of the kirtan group. In 1998 Ruby suffered from a stroke, and without hesitation Baker took on the role of a full-time caregiver which lasted up until the day she passed in late 2021. One of his best traits was his dedication to his family. Which was evident by his efforts to make the best possible life for them. He was a hardworking individual to say the least.
Baker was also multi-talented and musically gifted as many of you know, he loved to sing, dance, and play musical instruments. In Guyana he played the harmonica, but he loved music so much that when he moved to Canada he began taking many different lessons which included the harmonium and keyboard. He also enjoyed singing, so much that he invested in a karaoke machine which he used daily and even began making his own cds. His love for music was so strong that he even tried to encourage his grandchildren to pursue the same hobbies. Baker was not afraid of technology, he embraced it unlike most elder folks his age. You can even find him on Facebook! He invested in many different devices, sometimes without even realizing the full functions of them, he bought a MacBook, an Ipad, and Iphone as well as many different digital cameras. He was also very in tuned with his sense of style, keeping up to date with the current fashion trends. For example, as we celebrated his 92nd birthday, he was adamant on wearing his ray-bans and of course we can’t forget about his shiny gold teeth.
Baker was a well-known and respected individual who was loved by everyone around him. He was the root of our family. While this is a huge loss for all of us, we are at peace knowing that he is no longer yearning to be with his beloved wife, Ruby, whom he is now reunited with. He will be sadly missed, but never forgotten, as he will live on in our hearts forever.
Baker was born on April 30th, 1930, in Hampton Court, Essequibo, Guyana. He was the fifth child of Jhatan and Ragubansi Singh, but the last survivor of the Singh family, being blessed with longevity and outliving his generation era. At the age of 5, Baker and his family relocated to DeKinderen due to his father’s new job opportunity. He was only able to attend school up until the age of 11, as being one of the elder brothers required him to start selling bread in order to help his parents. This is where he got the name “Baker”. During this time, he was also a cane cutter, working at the sugar plantation. While working selling bread one day, he met his soulmate, and so began the love story of Baker and Ruby. At the age of 21, Baker got married and shortly after their first child was born, she was the first out of their 10 children in total. As their family grew, they moved to Meten-meer-zorg where he built the house where they resided until he later migrated to Canada. During this time, Baker worked at the Uitvlught (I-FLUT) Estate Sugar Plantation, where he worked his way up to a high position. As a supervisor he was able to build relationships and have a positive influence on those around him.
In 1985 Baker migrated to Canada along with his wife and 2 youngest children, reuniting them with the rest of his family, beginning a new chapter of their lives. He worked an industrial job during his early years in Canada, to help support his family. In the early 90s it became just the two of them again, as their youngest child got married and moved out. During this time, he became an integral part of the community, for example, attending religious services at the temple and becoming a member of the kirtan group. In 1998 Ruby suffered from a stroke, and without hesitation Baker took on the role of a full-time caregiver which lasted up until the day she passed in late 2021. One of his best traits was his dedication to his family. Which was evident by his efforts to make the best possible life for them. He was a hardworking individual to say the least.
Baker was also multi-talented and musically gifted as many of you know, he loved to sing, dance, and play musical instruments. In Guyana he played the harmonica, but he loved music so much that when he moved to Canada he began taking many different lessons which included the harmonium and keyboard. He also enjoyed singing, so much that he invested in a karaoke machine which he used daily and even began making his own cds. His love for music was so strong that he even tried to encourage his grandchildren to pursue the same hobbies. Baker was not afraid of technology, he embraced it unlike most elder folks his age. You can even find him on Facebook! He invested in many different devices, sometimes without even realizing the full functions of them, he bought a MacBook, an Ipad, and Iphone as well as many different digital cameras. He was also very in tuned with his sense of style, keeping up to date with the current fashion trends. For example, as we celebrated his 92nd birthday, he was adamant on wearing his ray-bans and of course we can’t forget about his shiny gold teeth.
Baker was a well-known and respected individual who was loved by everyone around him. He was the root of our family. While this is a huge loss for all of us, we are at peace knowing that he is no longer yearning to be with his beloved wife, Ruby, whom he is now reunited with. He will be sadly missed, but never forgotten, as he will live on in our hearts forever.