Eulogy delivered by Jeremy Sirley at the funeral of Jack Simonian
January 3, 2020
IT IS MY PRIVILEGE TO TALK ABOUT JACK...
I MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT SIX YEARS OLD WHEN I FIRST MET
JACK
AT THE MOTORCYCLE RACES IN HIS RACING LEATHERS IN
KENYA, MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS ‘THAT'S SUPERMAN A REAL LIFE SUPERMAN I WANT TO
BE LIKE HIM!’
JACK WAS BORN IN THE SUDAN, THE SON OF ARMENIAN
PARENTS - HIS FATHER AN ENGINEER, HIS MOTHER A SEAMSTRESS WHO WERE FORCED TO
FLEE PERSECUTION IN THE 1930'S AND FLED OVERLAND AND BY SHIP TO EGYPT BEFORE
MOVING ON THROUGH THE SUDAN AND ON TO KENYA WHERE JACK AND HIS 2 ELDER BROTHERS
GREW UP.
JACK WAS A TRUE GENTLEMAN, GENEROUS, HUMBLE , A LITTLE
ECCENTRIC AT TIMES AND ALWAYS AUTHENTIC. I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE FOUND THE AMOUNT
OF PATIENCE HE HAD, IN ANY SITUATION I HAVE NEVER EVER HEARD HIM RAISE HIS
VOICE! JUST RECENTLY I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE WORDS HE SAID TO ME AFTER I HAD
BEEN A LITTLE IMPATIENT WITH HIM WHICH I REGRET! HE SAID ‘POLE POLE KIJANA’ -
IT MEANS SLOW DOWN YOUNG MAN! I GOT THE MESSAGE AND INSTANTLY APOLOGISED FOR MY
BEHAVIOUR.
JACK HAD THIS REMARKABLE ABILITY TO LISTEN AND WHEN
ASKED WOULD OFFER SOUND LEVEL HEADED ADVICE AND SOLUTIONS TO PEOPLE IN
DIFFICULT SITUATIONS OR CIRCUMSTANCES.
HE WAS VERY HIGHLY RESPECTED SO MUCH SO HIS SIKH
BROTHERS WHOM HE PLAYED HOCKEY WITH REFERRED TO HIM AS ‘JACK SINGH’ ONE OF
THEM- AN HONOUR HE HELD CLOSE TO HIS HEART.
JACK WAS A UNIQUELY TALENTED TRUE SPORTSMAN, SO MUCH
OF A SPORTSMAN THAT DURING NUMEROUS COMPETITIONS HE WOULD OFTEN STOP DURING THE
RACE OR RALLY TO ASSIST HIS FELLOW COMPETITORS, OFTEN ALLOWING HIS RIVAL TO WIN
THE COMPETITION. ONE EXAMPLE IN 1969 AT THE KENYA MOTORCYCLE CHAMPIONSHIP, WAS
WHEN MIKE
KIRKLAND, A GOOD FRIEND AND FELLOW SPORTSMAN AND JACK
LINED UP ON THE GRID FOR THE FINAL DECIDING RACE. WHEN MIKE NOTICED HIS OWN
CHAIN HAD A PROBLEM ON HIS MOTORBIKE HE KNEW HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO START. HE PULLED
OFF THE TRACK TO ALLOW THE RACE TO START, AND JACK PULLED OFF AS WELL! JACK
FIXED MIKES BIKE FOR HIM THAT ALLOWED MIKE TO WIN THE RACE AND HIS ONLY KENYAN
BIKE CHAMPIONSHIP.
IN THE MOTORSPORT WORLD HE WAS A MULTIPLE EAST AFRICAN
& KENYAN MOTOR SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR WINNER WHERE HE EXCELLED BOTH ON
MOTORCYCLES AND IN CARS ON AND OFF THE ROAD
HE WAS A WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER FOR THE FORD
LANCIA ALFA & NISSAN TEAMS & HIS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ABILITIES TO
DEVELOP AND IMPROVE THE MOTORCYCLE OR CARS DURABILITY AND PERFORMANCE were
LEGENDARY. HE SPENT MANY YEARS DEVELOPING CARS FOR THE TEAMS PARTICIPATING IN
THE EAST AFRICAN SAFARI RALLY
IF YOU HAD A MECHANICAL PROBLEM WITH ANY VEHICLE ASK
JACK HE WOULD FIX IT AND AT THE SAME TIME MODIFY IT SO IT NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN!
HIS UNBELIEVABLE SPORTING TALENT WAS ALSO DISPLAYED ON
THE HOCKEY FIELD BY HIS PARTICIPATION IN THREE OLYMPIC GAMES AS A HOCKEY GOALKEEPER
IN ROME, MEXICO AND TOKYO, WINNING THE BEST GOALKEEPER OF THE TOURNAMENT IN THE
1968 MEXICO OLYMPICS.
SO HUMBLE WAS THE MAN THAT I ONLY FULLY UNDERSTOOD BY
READING THE NUMEROUS LETTERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES AFTER HIS
PASSING THE ENORMITY OF HIS SPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS.
JACK ALSO SERVED IN THE KENYA REGIMENT ARMY IN THE
SPECIAL INVESTIGATION BRANCH DURING KENYA'S EMERGENCY PRE INDEPENDENCE PERIOD
WHERE HE WAS THEIR TOP MARKSMAN & WAS OFTEN CALLED UP TO SERVE AS THE
FIRING MARKSMAN ON THE LIVE TRAINING EXERCISES!
MY QUESTION IS HOW DOES A MAN ACHIEVE WHAT HE DID IN A
LIFETIME? I STILL HAVENT FOUND THE ANSWER!
I HAVE A LITTLE SECRET JACK KEPT THAT I ONLY LEARNT OF
VERY RECENTLY- SOMETHING NOT EVEN MY FATHER, WHO KNEW JACK FOR OVER SEVENTY
YEARS KNEW, JACKS REAL NAME WAS JOHN - JACK WAS HIS OLDER BROTHERS NAME!
ONE OF JACK’S GREATEST PASSIONS WAS IN THE KITCHEN AND
HE COULD JUST ABOUT RUSTLE UP ANYTHING AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE - MANY OF YOU HERE
MAY HAVE BEEN GRACED WITH ONE OF HIS FAMOUS CURRIES OR LATELY HIS DELICIOUS
FRUIT CAKES! ONE WOULD NEVER GO HUNGRY IN JACK’S COMPANY!
JO PIP MARK & SUZY YOU MUST BE SO PROUD, AND I
WILL ALSO ALWAYS CHERISH THE MEMORIES OF YOUR BEAUTIFUL MOTHER PAULINE WHO JACK
MARRIED IN NAIROBI IN 1961. I KNOW THEY ARE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN, TWO HEARTS
THAT COULD NEVER BE SEPARATED.
ABOVE AND BEYOND ALL JACK’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS WAS HIS
FAITH. IT IS WHAT DROVE HIS EVERY MOVE AND WAS HIS COMPASS IN LIFE. JACK COULD
BE FOUND IN CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY CLUTCHING HIS PRAYER BOOK AND SINGING HYMNS,
ALWAYS READY TO LEND A HELPING HAND AND OFFER A WELCOMING HANDSHAKE TO ALL HE
MET.
JACK WAS A LONG WAY FROM HOME WHEN HE DIED PEACEFULLY
IN HIS SLEEP BUT AUSTRALIA AND HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS MADE HIM HAPPY. HE WOULD
PACK HIS BAGS DAYS BEFORE HIS ANNUAL TRIP AND WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE
NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS HERE FOR THEIR HELP, LOVE AND SUPPORT.
WE WISH HIM A RESTING PLACE FULL OF LOVE AND
FRIENDSHIP. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS.
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
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