Rest in love, Robert Geoffrey Marfleet!

By Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu 24 February 2018, 12:00AM

The life of a prominent businessman who has made a huge difference in Samoa, Robert Geoffrey Marfleet, was celebrated during a special gathering at Taumeasina Island Resort last night.

Mr. Marfleet passed away peacefully on Friday 16 February 2018 at North Shore Hospital, in Auckland New Zealand. 

He was 84. 

Last night, his wife Malia Tammi Marfleet, their 10 children and 17 grandchildren, relatives and friends paid tribute to a loving husband, father and a hard working man who will be sorely missed. 

Speaking during the gathering, Mrs. Marfleet remembered a man who lived an exemplary life. 

 “He was diagnosed with cancer and the doctor said he has only weeks to live,” she said.  “So as soon we were told, we talked and cried, talked and cried some more.

“His last words to me before he slipped into a coma were “where is my little girl - which is Luisa. Then he turned, looked at me and said I’m sorry I have tried. Obviously he was trying to stay alive for us.”

Mrs. Marfleet said it was a difficult time for her and her family. 

 “I whispered into his ear, ‘just let go we love you, I have accepted the fact that you will not be here however you’ll be pain free and you’re at peace’,” she said. 

“That was when he slowly went into a coma and the second day, after his son gave him a shave, he took his last breath.

“I was at peace with the fact that he is not in pain anymore, it is time for him to meet his master and like it or not, this is life.”

She also had a message for everyone.

Mrs. Marfleet said not to your loved ones for granted. 

“Spend more time with you parents, wives, husbands and children because we don’t know how much more time we have on this earth,” she said. 

“We were blessed to have been given one week to say our goodbyes.”

Mrs. Marfleet said she would miss her beloved husband.

She told the audience about the time when they first got married. She said their age difference of 26 years raised a lot of eyebrows. 

 “But thirty seven years later, age is nothing but a number,” she said.

“It’s not about age it’s about how you love and respect one another. At the Office he was the boss, I was the Secretary, but at home I am the boss.”

Another aspect of Mr. Marfleet’s life that his wife would find hard to forget is his “witty sense of humour.”

“On his death bed when the nurse was putting on his I.V., he told the nurse, please can you inject some whiskey in there. That is how he is remembered, his sense of humour. 

“He also requested the doctor if he could have a beer and he did.”

Mrs. Marfleet said her husband would be dearly missed for many reasons.

 “He loved his work,” she said. “He’s a people’s man and a person who did not differentiate whether you’re old or young, he always had something to say to anyone he meets.”

(Read the Samoa Observer’s tribute to Mr. Marfleet on page 13)

By Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu 24 February 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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