The man known as the 'sports encyclopedia' in T&T- John Antoine, has died. Eighty-six-year-old Antoine passed away on Tuesday last from an unknown illness at the Mt Hope Hospital, leaving behind his wife Cynthia and two children to mourn.
Yesterday Cynthia said her husband began experiencing swelling in his arms and legs three months ago, because his body was retaining fluids. Doctors advised him to exercise regularly to treat with this problem, his wife said, however, the problem reoccurred soon after, when Antoine received a mild stroke which led to a further deterioration of his health.
According to Cynthia, her husband also began experiencing problems breathing and was later rushed to the hospital where he died. "We really were not expecting this to happen. This leaves me in great pain as we have been married for a very long time," a tearful Cynthia said.
Antoine was a former tennis and basketball player before progressing to the levels of administration in both sports.
His extreme knowledge in the sports earned him the name 'sports encyclopedia' However his willingness to help people, whether it was his colleagues, friends, family, or just those seeking assistance in sports, had also made him (Antoine) well loved.
As a career Antoine worked at Shell Trinidad for his entire working life and upon his leaving, he picked up temporary employment at the Trinidad Guardian newspaper in the area of sports where he wrote on tennis and basketball.
Cynthia told Guardian Media Sports she and her husband were expected to celebrate their 60th year of marriage on June 5.
The funeral for the late John Antione will be held on Thursday, 9:00 am at the Chapel of Belgroves Funeral Home in Tacarigua, following which he will be cremated at the same place.
Yesterday, condolences continued to pour in for him, with Sherman Fyfe, a colleague of Antoine at Radio Trinidad in the past, describing him as an excellent guy. "He was a man of his word. When he told you something, you could have depended on him. He was a basketball official then and worked in that area for the station," Fyfe said.