My #1 Supporter

As you grow older, there are certain experiences in life you can’t avoid. However, this has always been one of my biggest fears. I knew this day would come, I just never knew it would come so soon. I prayed for this day not to come at all, but unfortunately it did.

I take after my dad in so many ways: our quiet nature, tiny eyes, love for coffee, brilliance, etc. I was very lucky to have gotten such a man as my father. From my younger years to now, I have always viewed him as a man that holds up to the standards of the head of the home. Yes my dad was quiet, but he was very assertive too when necessary and sometimes not. He would always work hard to provide for his family and handle things to the best of his abilities. And still, he would try his best to listen to his wife as much as his spirit led him. The bond between my dad and mom was very admirable. They are the definition of two becoming one in a marriage - never leaving the other out of anything.

As my dad, Aderemi was one of my biggest supporters ever. I remember multiple occasions when he would defend me to my mom, bringing out his expertise in law. There was never a time he would ever let me doubt myself, whether I’d be serious about a life changing decision or be joking about something like marrying a prince. He always found it easy to encourage me or my brothers or my mom, no matter how difficult things were or even how much he may have had doubts. He loved us so deeply in his own way. There was nothing he would have wanted more than for all his loved ones to be doing well.

Which is why I know he’d be so appreciative of everyone who has supported the family in this time and come out to celebrate his life today. May God continue to bless and lift you up in your time of need. Amen. We truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we do not take your prayers and your presence for granted.

All in all, I know the greatest accomplishment of his life apart from marrying my mom and having three amazing children of course, was to take his service with God more seriously. I believe finding his relationship with God honestly gave him a refined passion in life that was beautiful to witness. From how much he had been through, it would have made sense to give up all hope but he didn’t. His life was a true testament of the strength that one gains when God is involved. And I truly believe that is what my dad would want us all to learn from him. Not that everything is going to be perfect all the time but that with God, there can be peace in imperfection. Which is all you really need.

Though he could be very quiet most times, his passing was very much loud in the sense that it has been very impactful. However, we take comfort in God and in each other because at the end of the day, we know he would never want us to dwell in pain and tears. Although these words will never be enough to encapsulate your importance in our lives, we will always remember you, Aderemi Daniel. We thank God for your life and for those you’ve left behind. And we pray that your name will always be remembered for good around the world and that we will forever make you proud. I love you daddy. Your princess misses you everyday.