THERE was an outpouring of mourning at the Ajax Crematorium and Visitation Centre, Ontario on Wednesdaylast as hundreds gathered to pay their final respects to the revered cricket administrator and former player Jainauth ‘Vish’ Jadunauth.

Jadunauth, who passed away last Saturday, following a brief illness, was described as an administrator par excellence. He would have celebrated his 61st birth anniversary on March 11.

In a moving eulogy, niece Nadia Jadunauth told the packed audience that her uncle will surely be missed, not only by his close relatives and friends but by the cricket fraternity as a whole.

According to Nadia, Vish was an uncle with lots of love and it was unbelievable that he had left us so soon, positing that the cricket fraternity in Ontario had lost an icon, Nadia said Vish manifested true humanity the way he lived his life.

Vish’s brother Dennis related how the deceased embraced the game of cricket from a very young age and it came as no surprise to him that he was involved at the administrative levels in both hardball and softball cricket and as a qualified West Indies-trained umpire.

Glowing tributes were also paid at Tuesday night’s viewing at the same venue with Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) president Shiv Persaud stressing that Vish’s death has been a tremendous loss to the association.

According to Persaud, apart from Vish’s excellent job as the SCA’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), he was instrumental and dedicated to the uplifting of youths, not only in the SCA but also as the Junior Coordinator of Cricket Ontario.

“Vish’s untimely and unexpected passing has left family, friends and the cricketing fraternity in shock. He was a tower of strength in the SCA over the past 20 years.

“Vish was such an inspiration and although words will not take away the grief, we hope this message brings comfort at this time.

“Our sincere condolences are with his wife and family during this time. He was an incredible man and we feel his loss deeply,” Persaud disclosed.

Good friend and associate Albert Ramcharran said Vish had a heart of gold “and I say this with a heavy heart”.

“Myself and Vish had been friends for more than 30 years and we travelled frequently to several countries including the UAE and India, accompanied by our wives. I still have memories of us attending the 2007 World Cup in Guyana and international matches in Florida,” Ramcharran disclosed.

“Vish will always remain in my heart as a true, trusted and dependable friend whose generosity was unmatched.

“I have no doubt that his legacy will live on as an example to future generations. I thank him for his remarkable contributions not only to the game of cricket but also to life as a whole.

“As president of the Canada Cricket Umpires Association of which Vish was the treasurer, we will miss your outstanding and dedicated service beyond the call of duty.”

At the time of his death, Jadunauth was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the SCA, Treasurer of the Canada Cricket Umpires Association and Junior Coordinator of Cricket. He was also a founding member of the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) and served in various executive positions, including Coordinator before exiting in 2019.

The funeral ceremony was conducted along Hindu rites. He leaves to mourn his wife Sandra, a brother and two sisters. (Frederick Halley)