Obituaries

Name:

" Patrick R. Semple "

D.O.B:

06/30/1951

D.O.D

10/14/2023

Country From:

Guyana

State / Parish:

NULL

Place of Death

Queens, New York

Service Date

10/27/2023

5:00pm

Details:

The funeral service for the late Patrick R. Semple will be held on Friday, October 27th 2023 at Praise Tabernacle Church, located Jamaica, NY.

Viewing:5:00pm-7:00pm
Service:7:00pm

The burial for the late Patrick R. Semple will be at Springfield Cemetery, Springfield Gardens, NY.

Special Info

Patrick Rudolph Percival Silvan Semple. It was on Saturday June 30, 1951, Fredrick and Verley Semple got the eleventh of their thirteen children, with the birth of Patrick Rudolph Percival Silvan Semple at Catherine Ville, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara in Guyana. Unlike his other siblings, he was pint-sized, a feature he strangely maintained throughout life. He had a few aliases: Backa, Crack and Woodants. While the origin of none of these names is known, he was comfortable with them. Backa got his education at Catherine Ville Methodist School. From there he went straight into the field of work. He was a "Porknocker,' a carpenter, a bicycle and motorcycle repairman, and a welder at the rice complex at Burma, and the Guyana Stockfeed Company located at Perseverance, Mahaicony. He was married to Glennis Rosemary Cuffy for 49 years, with whom he produced five children, being Craddock, Melynie, Patrick (deceased), Rondel and Shevlyn. He also fathered Fitzroy aka Fat Boy, Kelly and Curlana. In1983, he migrated to the USA. He secured a casket-making job at South Brooklyn Casket Company. It is understood that he was so effective that his production of caskets vastly outnumbered the availability of corpse. He realized that he had to a breadwinner in his home. And so, he blossomed into a motor mechanic, securing employment at Sears, Liberty Auto Body Shop in Queens, New York and Harris International Corporation in Chantilly, Virginia. It was a marvel how an untrained man successfully undertook such huge responsibility. Backa also did plumbing and electrical installation. Interestingly, he was so naturally gifted that he secured no formal or specialized training to equip himself for the various skills he acquired. He learned by observing how things were done (the processes) or by boldly taking chance through trial or experiment. In his home, he exhibited love as a husband, a father, and a grandfather, mainly through his actions. The family could have looked out for him to do the cooking while he was at home, in their absence. He did the babysitting of all his grandchildren, a task that does not find favor with most men. He could even be depended on to take them to and from school once he was available. At home and among his siblings, he performed that utility role of "Mr. Fix It" by repairing the water lines, correcting defects in the electrical installations, and repairing defects on electronic equipment. He was a true blessing among his family members. Backa trusted himself with his decisions. He was not known to yield to the advice of others. In his words, he was living his best life by doing what pleased him. In short, he was "running his own show," a common expression among Guyanese. No rebuke, no opposition in or out of his home could influence him to change course. We know that he was prone to accidents and hospitalization from time to time. He won most of those battles to live for 72 years because he was strong. Unfortunately, he did not survive his last hospitalization and died on October 14, 2023. Perhaps, if he had recognized that our advice to him was offered through genuine love, we would not have been in mourning mode now. Backa is survived by his 21 Grandchildren: Aysia, Tatianna, Andy, Nickaya, Shaquan, Aaliyah, Ayden, Ryan, Tomia, Kayla, Aaron, Xavier, Jordan, Dwayne, Destinee, Duke, Josiah, Shandel, Justin, Ania and Aziel. 7 Great grandchildren: Jahtari, J’reme, Zamiya, Alani, Genesis, Kristan and Karter. He is also survived by his siblings, brother: Randolph, Bertrum and Desmond Semple. Sisters: Pearl Gibbons, Shirley Husbands, and Pamela Morrison. He is predeceased by his parents Frederick and Verley; son, Patrick and siblings Fred, James, Cecil, Berkely, Elaine and Byrl. He was the brother-in-law of Wendy, Rachael, Hazel and Doris Semple, Morris Gibbons, William Morrison, Clayton Charles, Deryck and Allan Inniss aka Yackoo and Lincoln Williams. Backa was a proud uncle to many nieces and nephews who meant the world to him. His cousins are Larry and Barbara Crawford, Keith Semple, Joyce Jones, Francis Downer, Lorna Noble, Earl Nedd, Clifford Alexander, Michael Freeman, Gairy Wilson, Hazel Chester, Gwennie Rawlins, Eon Fraser, Desney Inniss and many others. Backa's relatives are the Semple, Inniss, Crawford and Downer families of Mahaicony and West Berbice. His many friends include Neil Crawford, Tom Harris, Ovid Inniss, Kenneth Bristol, Linden Bascom, Carl Goulding, Dennis Emanuel, Roxanne Charles, Basil Noble, Clensford Burnett, Maury, Chris and others. While Backa left us far too soon, the impact he had on all who encountered him will be felt for years to come. We thank God for his time with us on earth, and hope that it is well, truly well with his soul. So, God be with him till we meet again. Farewell! Farewell! Farewell, Backa! You truly enriched our lives, dearly. We gonna miss you, Everybody sends their love. Amen and amen!

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