I was about 18 when I was visited by an angel who came and sat next to me and his name was Zeri. That was the first day at university – a day that a young east-ender immigrant was finding it hard to comprehend and understand the new environment and surroundings. That guiding angel was ever-present from that day until the 14th March 2018. An angel who would protect and love anyone he met because for him there was no truer word than ‘love’. Not love that we mortals know between chosen people but love as portrayed in the Bible. His favourite verses were on love from the Corinthians and were often quoted and lived and practiced in his everyday life.

That sums up our Zeri, unconditional love whether it was a stranger, his close ones or his students. Yet he understood the vagaries of human nature and lived up to his biblical name of ‘Jesus’. Forgive and forget he always said, despite being able to uncannily perceive your inner soul with all its flaws and egotistical attachments.

I am probably the most fortunate person in the universe to have had such a great teacher and friend. So are others who benefited from his love and his frank exchange of the flaws that he perceived in anyone. That day we met started a great journey of discovery and learning in both our lives.

He was always curious about other cultures and religions and we often exchanged ideas that lead us to believe in how similar our and other cultures were only to be differentiated by labels that humans choose. After I graduated from UKC, Zeri carried on with his research in accounting. He was probably the most recognised and popular man on campus with both the lecturers and his fellow students. He often visited us in London and then decided to stay and follow his passion in teaching. This is also where he met a wonderful and kind young lady named Vanda and soon after this they were married. He decided that teaching was his calling and after completing his qualifications in teacher training he joined Westminster Kingsway College where he stayed until his retirement. This was not because of lack of choice or opportunities but because he saw this was a place where he could really make a difference in many lives which he surely did. He treated his students as his own children and would not only be involved in their studies but in their wellbeing too. Many of them felt free to call on him anytime with any problems academic or personal and he was always there for them. His students became his life and he spent many hours preparing, marking and assessing but this was not only on the academic content but also how his mark would affect the eventual grade and therefore their future careers, sometimes agonising over just a few grades.

But he was far from being an introverted academic he had worldly views on almost any subject from the classics to the latest music and gadgets. He always tried to keep up with the latest news and views so that he could keep open the channel of communication with the younger generation. The younger the generation the more observant he was about them, often chuckling at the antics of the little ones and repeating their utterances which often leave the adults speechless. In these observations he could teach us about all the simplicity and beauty of life that these innocent youngsters displayed. It is difficult to sum up our Zeri in a few paragraphs because his depth and understanding of the world was probably beyond our comprehension, yet he has let us with happy memories of his beautiful smile and deep voice that commanded everyone’s attention the minute he spoke.
He will forever speak in my mind the many, many words we exchanged over the decades and I’m sure the same will be for that everyone he met and touched with his grace, his smile and his love. Zeri you will be always missed at every moment and never forgotten by anyone who knew you.