Celebrating the life of TomOkafor

19512026

Saturday 23 January 2027Riverside Community Hall, Toronto

About Tom

A gardener, a grandfather, a friend to the whole street

For more than forty years, Tom turned empty corners of our neighbourhood into gardens. He was happiest with soil on his hands and a jazz record turning in the kitchen, and he never met a neighbour he didn't send home with tomatoes.

To his five grandchildren he was Grandpa Tom: keeper of the flat cap, teller of long stories and grower of the tallest sunflowers on Queen Street. We would love to spend an afternoon remembering him together, with music, stories and a little sunshine.

The gathering

Join us for an afternoon in his honour

Come as you are, stay as long as you like. There will be tea, cake and plenty of chairs.

Date
Saturday 23 January 2027
Time
14:00 to 17:00Drop in whenever suits you
Place
Riverside Community HallQueen Street East, Toronto

Add to your calendar

Google Apple

A small request

Wear a touch of yellow

It was Tom's favourite colour, the colour of his sunflowers and his old garden gloves. A scarf, a tie, a flower in your buttonhole: whatever feels right to you. There's no need for black.

  • A scarf
  • A tie
  • A flower

The afternoon

Stories, music and a little planting

Nothing formal. Just the things Tom loved most, in the order he'd probably have chosen.

  1. Welcome, with tea and cake
  2. Stories & memories
  3. Tom's favourite jazz, played live
  4. Planting in his community garden

The venue

Riverside Community Hall

Queen Street East, Toronto, Canada

  • Doors open at 13:45
  • Step-free entrance and accessible washrooms
  • Street parking nearby, or the 501 streetcar to the door
Get directions

Tom's playlist

The records he played on Sundays

  1. Summertime
  2. Take the A Train
  3. In a Sentimental Mood
  4. Autumn Leaves
  5. So What

Friends from his Thursday jam will play a few of these live at 15:30.

In lieu of flowers

Donations to the Riverside Community Garden

Tom volunteered at the garden for over twenty years. The family welcomes gifts toward seeds, tools and a new bed of sunflowers, planted in his name each spring.

Give to the garden

Every gift, large or small, keeps his garden growing.

Share a memory

Will you join us?

Please let the family know by 9 January so there's a seat and a cup of tea for everyone. If you'd like to, leave a story about Tom. Every one will be read, and kept.

Will you be there?

The best gardens are the ones we share. Thank you for being part of his.

With love, the Okafor family

Saturday 23 January 2027, Riverside Community Hall, Toronto