Rashid Furqan Abdullah

OBITUARY

Rashid F. Abdullah was born Seymour McCain on November 17, 1952 to Seymour and Sarah McCain in Brooklyn, NY. 

He went to NYC public school, followed by Westinghouse, High School. 

He was married in 1972 to Barbara Johnson, and from that union, they bore three children: Shakeem, Iyesha, and Atiya McCain. Due to his devout Muslim faith, in the early eighties he legally changed his name to Rashid Furqan Abdullah. 

In 1983, he married Yamina Abdullah, and from that union, they had one child: lbn Rashid Abdullah. 

Rashid completed an Associate degree in Electrical Engineering, while serving as a restaurant regional manager. He retired from the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 2018, where he gave 20+ years of service. 

Rashid F. Abdullah passed away peacefully in his home in Newark, NJ, in the company of his family; he was 68 years old. He battled a rare lung disease, stemming from the tragedies of 911. He outlived his doctor's life expectancy by 3 years; he was a fighter. 

He is survived by his siblings Erlene, Gertrude, Robin, Grace, Hassan, Jerome; four children; seven grandchildren;, and a host of nieces and nephews. 

He believed in discipline and religion as the foundation of one's life journey. He was a treasure trove of wisdom and knowledge, which he was always willing to share with his family, friends, and colleagues. He enjoyed music as a source of comfort, genres include Contemporary Jazz and R&B. He will be greatly missed, but even more appreciated. 

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