Obituary of Nicholas LaBastide

LIFE SKETCH OF NICHOLAS LABASTIDE Nicholas LaBastide, Sr. was born in the Caribbean island of Grenada on January 20, 1942 to parents Arthur LaBastide and Decenta Thomas LaBastide. He was the last of seven children. His mother, Decenta Thomas, married her first husband Walter Mitchell and from that union came three children; Rawlins, Leta and Hornett. After her first husband died, she married Arthur LaBastide and bore four more children; Miriam, Aaron, Alva and Nicholas. Alva, the third child of Arthur and Decenta passed away a little over a year after his birth. Nicholas grew up in the town of Grand Roy. His mother was a seamstress and his father a tinsmith and carpenter. He came from a family of very modest means but there was always plenty of food around. His family's land had plenty of fruit trees and on many weekdays after school and on Sundays you would find him and his brother Aaron planting crops on the land. Faith played an integral part in Nicholas' life growing up. One of the first Adventist churches on the island started in his grandmother's home and then expanded to a rental house until the church building was completed. Nicholas attended the Grand Roy Government School in his village and was a bright student. After finishing school at the age of 16, he started an apprenticeship with a building contractor who was building a house for a client in the city of Grand Roy. This contractor was a master builder and Nicholas learned a lot from him. He worked with this contractor for almost two years and during this time he gained valuable skills in bricklaying, carpentry and plastering. When Nicholas was 17 years old a devastating event changed his life forever when his mother passed away at the age of 51. He was very close to his mother and he took her death very hard. His aunt Olena, who was his mother's sister and with whom he was also very close, was a pillar of strength for him during this difficult time. In 1960 Nicholas left the island of Grenada and travelled by ship for 20 days to the United Kingdom to join his two brothers Hornett and Aaron who had migrated there a couple of years earlier. Eager to find work in England that would utilize the skills he had learned in Grenada he desired to find work in the building industry. But his brothers dissuaded him from doing so because they felt the climatic conditions were unsuitable for work outdoors, especially during the winter months. He took their advice and sought employment in a different field. One of his brothers helped him get a job in the engineering factory where he also worked. Nicholas worked in the General Electric factory as a machine shop operator making components for planes, washing machines and cars. He learned how to read technical drawings and he found the work very interesting. He decided to become a skilled craftsman in the engineering industry and took classes to refine his skills. He went to a government training school and graduated in six months and received a better paying job. In 1965 after spending five years in Britain and finally settling down in his new country he began to feel a void in his life. He asked his brothers where the nearest Adventist church was. However, their interests weren't in religious things. Nicholas wanted to get back into church life so he prayed and asked the Lord to guide his steps. Eventually he found the Wembley SDA Church in London and he visited. He found the church warm and inviting. In June of 1967 he was baptized and became an active member of the Wembley SDA Church. One Sabbath a gentleman from another church visited the Wembley church and after talking with him, Nicholas learned that he worked at the church health food factory in Stanborough Park, Watford. This gentleman said they needed employees and there would be no problem with keeping the Sabbath. This was an answer to prayer for Nicholas because he began to have problems with his employer in observing the Sabbath. He eventually would become employed with the church health food factory. A few months later Nicholas was introduced by this same gentleman to a lady named Elaine Smith. When they met there was an instant connection. This was another answer to prayer because Nicholas had been praying for God to help him find a SDA Christian woman to be his wife. Nicholas and Elaine courted each other for three years and on March 28, 1971 they were wed in holy matrimony. A couple months later an opportunity arose for Elaine to seek employment in the United States. After intense discussion and eventual agreement Elaine departed for America on June 1971 to work for one year at the Washington Hospital Center. Nicholas would follow his wife six months later to the United States. To this union was born Hubert, Richard and Nicholas, Jr. There would be some difficult times along the way. This new transition to a new country would bring its challenges. But through this new journey in life, Nicholas and his wife Elaine remained close to God. As the spiritual leader of his family, Nicholas never stopped believing that no matter what trials may come or what experiences one may encounter in life, you just have to keep trusting in God. Nicholas made a decision to serve the Lord and never looked back. He was a member of the Sligo SDA Church for over forty years, serving as a deacon and Sabbath School teacher for children for many years. Nicholas had a love for planting a kitchen garden which he learned from his childhood planting crops on his family's land in Grenada. He loved to follow politics and he loved to follow sports, especially Cricket, a sport played in his native land and the UK. But most of all he loved the Lord and he tried to set a good example for his three sons. He loved his children unconditionally and was a devoted husband to his wife. When his wife Elaine had to assume a caregiving role for her mother who was alone and needed help overseas, Nicholas encouraged her to go to be by her Mom's side, even though it meant spending many months apart from his wife. He had a love for his own mother and witnessed her sickness and stood by her before she died. In the last few years as he struggled with his own health issues, he never complained and still tried to remain positive. He still had that strong faith in God that He knew what was best. On September 8, 2016 Nicholas took his last breath and is resting in the Lord. He leaves to mourn his loss his devoted wife Elaine, his sons, Hubert, Richard and Nicholas(Rachel). He leaves to cherish his memory his brother Aaron and sister-in-law, Doreen and his sister Miriam along with nieces and nephews and many friends. We look forward to seeing Nicholas in the Earth made new.