MOURNERS filled the hall of a church today to say goodbye to a “gentle giant” who died in a fire.

Family, friends and colleagues gathered at Wealdstone Baptist Church, in High Street, to celebrate the life of Santosh Benjamin-Muthiah, 36, who passed away after a blaze at his home, in Grant Road, on November 11.

Friends and relatives told how he gave his life to serving God and would have been certain in his final moments that he was going to “meet Jesus”.

Jennifer Christina Benjamin, 33, his wife of eight years, was with him on the night of the blaze and like her husband was overcome by smoke as it filled her lungs.

Santosh, known to friends as Ben, died after several days in hospital, but Jennifer survived and was discharged from St Mary's Hospital on Thursday last week.

Many in the congregation say they believe it is a miracle she recovered in time for the funeral at the church, at 11.45am today.

She told those gathered: “Ben's life was one which reflected God's love. He loved God and this was very evident in the love he showed for others.

“He was a loving father to our two young daughters.”

She told how he never missed an opportunity to show his love and affection, “showering” her with poetry and praising her cooking.

The congregation heard how committed he was to his religion as an elder of the church, and how dedicated he was to the music he played in its band.

The Microsoft employee, born in Chennai, India, was known among colleagues at Microsoft as a “gentle giant”.

Jennifer said: “He didn't settle for mediocrity. He always kept striving, always kept fighting to achieve more.

“The thing that I always admired about him was the fact he was never afraid to stand up for what was right, whatever the cost. He would say the truth no matter what.”

Jennifer saved their daughters, Anna, three, and Rachel, three months, on the night of the fire by passing them out of the window of their home to neighbours below.

She told mourners how much he loved the two children and how he and Anna used to call each other “gorgeous”.

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