The final chapter in Michael DaSilva’s story was written yesterday.
The veteran award winning sports journalist who passed away last Wednesday following a battle with lung cancer, was cremated at Memorial Gardens.
His cremation was held after his fellow journalists, athletes, sports officials, colleagues and the near and dear paid their last respects to him.
The body was viewed at the Sandy’s Funeral Parlour then at the Calvary Lutheran Church. The father of three and husband of Cherry DaSilva, was 65 years old. His daughter, LeTisha DaSilva who read the eulogy, remembered her father as “loving, kind and patient.”
‘Mike’ as he was affectionately called in media circles, covered numerous sports disciplines during his tenure at Stabroek News and the Guyana Chronicle.
Da Silva worked at this newspaper from 1994 to 2007 and won a number of awards including the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Journalist of the Year award in 2006 and was selected by the GOA, along with veteran photographer Winston Oudkerk, to cover the 2007 Pan Am Games as a result.
President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Steve Ninvalle a former coworker of DaSilva’s at Stabroek News, stated that ‘Mike’s passing is a blow to the journalism fraternity.
Leon Horatio, Sports Editor of the Guyana Chronicle echoed similar sentiments to Ninvalle.
President of the Guyana Olympic Association, K Juman-Yassin remembered DaSilva as a respected sports journalist who was not afraid to rock the boat.
Dr. Karen Pilgrim, Vice President of the GOA reacted that DaSilva was one of the first journalist who accurately covered the sport of swimming. May his soul rest in peace.
