As much as he was a calm, a mediator and the go-to man for many young sportsmen and women in T&T, Richard Fakoory had played that same role in the Fakoory family, his son Kyle eulogised at his funeral service yesterday at the St Finbar's RC Church, Diego Martin.
However, for many, this did not come as a surprise. Fakoory, the former T&T Pro League Chairman, was one of four children born to Elias and Tamam Fakoory in June 22nd 1947, and despite the distinctly, unique personalities of his siblings Lark, Derek and Tammy, he had been the anchor, the calm in the storm and the mediator in many family situations.
Kyle said with his father's passing, they now feel as though they have been set adrift.
Fakoory, the owner and founder of St Ann's Rangers, formerly Superstar Rangers, died last week Wednesday from a pulmonary aneurysm, which he received only a day after he had surgery for a blockage in the abdomen at the Westshore Medical Facility.
Yesterday a wide cross-section of the country's sporting fraternity that included former national football captain Sedley Joseph, Jack Warner, the former T&T Football Association Special Adviser, Brian Lewis- the T&T Olympic Committee president, TTFA president David John-Williams, Jamal Shabazz, Richard Piper, Raymond Tim Kee, Keith Look Loy- the T&T Super League president and Clayton Morris.
Among the basketball fraternity was Joseph Lenny Guy, who coached Superstar South Port-of-Spain, players and administrators from that sport like Claire Mitchell, the president.
T&T, Douglas James- the former T&T/FIFA referee and Angus Eve, among many others, assembled at the St Finbar's Church to say their final farewell to a man whose life was dedicated to the development of the youth in T&T through basketball and particularly football.
Factory's wife Angela, Kyle and daughter Rachel were humbled by the outpouring of love received over the past week, but Kyle gave well-wishers an insight of Factory's life as a father and family man, which he referred to as 'inside the locker room.'
According to Kyle "Family was everything to dad, from a simple conversation to a family gathering, dad ensured that we often spent time together, and every detail had to be planned. My fondest years were our weekends spent down the islands at the Superstar House with Grandma and Grandpa at the helm, whom most of you would know as Mom and Pops."
"Most memorable were our Easter weekends where his competitive spirit would put us all against each other, as he designed games to test our very sanity and skill. Some of the activities included catching 20 live stinging jellyfish, a live pecking rooster, a live iguana in the bush up a mountain, create a Superstar logo with actual colour using whatever you could find, OR dive off a 20-foot sun deck, in order to win a swimming race."
Fakoory also taught many life lessons such as: take care of, protect, and provide for family: work hard and rewards will always follow: with the right tool anything is possible: show respect and courtesy to others: don't ever be afraid to make mistakes, just make sure you always learn from them: It's ok to dream big, just make sure you maintain a sense of reality: and always spend wisely, but it's fine to treat yourself on occasions.
Fakoory's casket was later taken through a guard of honour by players from Terminix St Ann's Rangers before being taken for burial.