Residents reacted with shock and sadness to the news of the sudden death of Mr Johny dos Santos of OK Grocer in Louis Trichardt.

Mr Dos Santos passed away at the store last Wednesday afternoon, following a massive heart attack. He complained about feeling dizzy and decided to sit down for a while. A customer realized something was very wrong and helped Mr Dos Santos to the floor. Within minutes, a doctor was on the scene, but Mr Dos Santos had, sadly, passed away.

The 60-year-old Mr Dos Santos immigrated to South-Africa with his parents at the age of 14. He stayed in Vanderbijlpark for most of his life. In later years, however, he returned to Portugal for a period of 15 years to look after his parents-in-law. About four years ago, he returned to South-Africa where he became a familiar face behind the counter at Ricky’s Supermarket, which later changed its name to OK Grocer.

Mr Dos Santos will be remembered for his friendliness.

“He had a heart of gold,” said the family. They expressed their sincere gratitude to all who became friends with him and the community for their kind words of support during this tough time.

Mr Dos Santos will be laid to rest on Friday, July 16 from the Catholic Church on the corner of Jeppe and Burger Street. At the time of going to press, the exact time of the funeral service was not yet known, although the family planned to arrange it for between 10:00 and 11:00.

Mr Dos Santos is survived by his wife Adelina and children Louis and Sonia from England and Olga from Portugal.