‘The best thing a father can do’: Family say goodbye to B.C. man who died trying to save daughter

VANCOUVER-Kashif Sheikh had practice as a father figure from the age of nine.

Young Kashif would take Saqib Sheikh, his baby brother, by the hand, and make sure his three younger siblings knew he would protect them at all costs.

He treated me like his own kid," Saqib Sheikh remembered Friday. If there were any difficulties ever, he would take it as a father. He would never let us worry."

The protective instinct stayed with him to the end. Kashif Sheikh, 46, from Surrey B.C., died on Father's Day - drowning after he had jumped into a waterfall in Mill Creek near Kelowna to save his teenage daughter.

His daughter survived, but Sheikh died, leaving his two sons, two daughters and wife shocked and grieving.

He did not think one minute, he just jumped in to save his daughter," Saqib said. He sacrificed himself. That's the best thing a father can do on Father's Day."

At his funeral Friday, people mourning Sheikh had to be turned away to keep attendance within the 50-person limit allowed by COVID-19 restrictions. Thousands more viewed part of the service online.

News of Sheikh's death has sent ripples far and wide. Family members and longtime friends have received calls and messages from hundreds of people who knew him over the past week, including former patrons grateful for the food he served them free of charge at the restaurant he used to run, and a couple who passed the Sheikh family on their walk in Mill Creek on the day of his death, touched to have shared smiles and warm conversation with the man in his last hours.

To the close friends and family who were at Friday's funeral, Sheikh's loss was a heavy weight. Often the main attraction" in groups of friends, known for bringing others together with his smile, Sheikh would be missed in any gathering he did not attend, said family friend Syed Asif Iqbal.

Everyone was crying and everyone was missing him so much," Iqbal said of the funeral, which took place in Chilliwack, mountains towering over Sheikh's burial site. I've never seen anything like this - everyone has lots of memories of Kashif."

Interviews with Sheikh's brother and friends paint a picture of a jolly" and generous man loved by many, devoted to his family and who wanted to be remembered for his many travels and adventures.

Recently, he said, I want to be remembered by my kids as the father who travelled the world,'" Saqib Sheikh said. He travelled so many countries, I don't even remember anymore. Whenever he got a chance, he would travel new places in the world and explore."

The trip to Kelowna was one adventure that nearly did not materialize. The family of six had packed up for their planned trip to the Okanagan for Father's Day weekend when they lost their keys. They almost didn't go, but with the kids packed up, Sheikh and his wife decided to rent a car and go anyways.

The family found the keys on their lawn days after the father's death.

Originally from Pakistan, Sheikh kept close contact with friends on two continents. Muhammad Jamal, a friend since 1993 who lives in Lahore, wrote in a message to the Star how he would tell his family and friends to drop everything once he found out Sheikh was coming for a visit.

We will have lunch dinner breakfast wherever we like," he wrote. He was such a lovely guy."

Just days before Sheikh drowned, he visited Iqbal's office to tell him he was hoping to travel back to Pakistan again soon because he was missing family and friends.

Sheikh's family said it's been a comfort knowing how broad and deep the man's impact was on other peoples' lives.

Just yesterday I had a man coming to cut the grass and he just said he was upset," Saqib Sheikh said. Kashif was helping him arrange his immigration documents to Canada - he helped him even though he hardly knew him."

He's been loved by every single person."

Alex McKeen is a Vancouver-based reporter covering transportation and labour for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @alex_mckeen