By Nelson A. King
The Caribbean community
in Brooklyn is mourning the
passing of prominent Trinidadian
businessman Conrad Ifill,
whose Conrad’s Famous Bakery
has been a fixture in the epicenter
of the Caribbean community
in Brooklyn for decades,
who succumbed to the coronavirus
(COVID-19) Friday morning,
his Trinidadian wife, Faye
Ifill, confirmed. He was 81.
Mrs. Ifill, an elementary
school teacher, told Caribbean
Life, in an exclusive interview
Sunday, from her Nassau County,
Long Is. home, that her
husband died Friday, at 5:33
am, at Mt. Sinai South Nassau
Hospital in Long Is.
She said that Ifill was first
admitted to the hospital on
April 3 and tested positive for
COVID-19 two days later.
On April 13, Mrs. Ifill said he
was transferred to a rehabilitation
facility but was rushed
back to Mt. Sinai South Nassau
Hospital on Thursday after
“developing breathing complications.”
“He was always a fighter; he
had fought every battle,” she
said, with their two children,
Andre and Andrea Allana, listening
Caribbean L 6 ife, April 24-30, 2020
in on the interview. “To
see this virus took him down is
not something we can understand.
“When he was transferred to
rehabilitation, we had a glimpse
of hope,” Mrs. Ifill added. “So,
to be told he had to return to
the hospital really shocked us.
And to be told he died was dumfounding.
“You cannot imagine how
quickly this virus can take you
down,” she continued. “This is
something that changes from
one hour to the next; you don’t
know. The realization of it
(Ifill’s passing) has not really
hit us. We’re just in a state of
shock.”
Mrs. Ifill said her husband –
who owned two outlets of Conrad’s
Famous Bakery on Utica
and Church Avenues in Brooklyn
– was born on June 10,
1938, on Fun Rose Street, off
the main Coffee Street, in San
Fernando, in South Trinidad.
She said Ifill “loved baking”
and had “a generous heart.”
“It’s the customers who made
him who he was,” she said. “He
loved baking. He would have us
taste his samples.
“With his love and passion,
he had a huge heart,” Mrs. Ifill
added. “He was such a generous
person. He gave to all – his generous
heart.
“He was giving of his products
that he took his pride in,”
she continued. “If there’s anything
we can take from him
was his sense of generosity.”
“He always said, ‘we are all
heart’”, Andre chimed in.
A note on the bakery’s website
says that “Conrad’s Famous
Bakery has been baking bread
for over 31 years” and that Ifill,
the founder and owner, “quit
his Computer Data Processing
job on Wall Street to pursue his
dream of opening a Trinidadian
Bakery.”’
Growing up in a big family
of seven siblings, Ifill “quickly
Conrad Ifi ll, founder and CEO of Conrad’s Famous Bakery.
Ifi ll family
realized there was never enough
bread and, in turn, began to
bake his own bread,” the website
says.
As an adult, Ifill migrated
to the New York and pursued
a career in the Computer Data
Processing and accounting, the
website says.
“However, he was not satisfied
with this career path and
decided to quit his job and pursue
his dream of owning a successful
Caribbean bakery, featuring
Trinidadian favorites,” it
says.
“Mr. Conrad (Ifill) has put
his heart and soul into creating
the best mouth-watering
bread around, and stands by
his products,” it adds. “Today,
Conrad’s Famous Bakery is one
of the most well-known Caribbean
bakeries in NYC.”
Caribbean community mourns
death of Trini businessman
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