ABDULLAH SHAIKH

1967 - 2020

SHAIKH, Abdullah Beloved Son, Brother, Uncle, Nephew, and Friend Abdullah Shaikh, 53, of Somerville, Massachusetts, died on May 16, 2020 with several family members by his side. Abdullah was born on May 16, 1967 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the son of the late Abdul Wahab Shaikh and Ambia K. Shaikh. He was the eighth of ten siblings and the loving and proud uncle of twenty nieces and nephews. Abdullah began DJing as a hobby and then professionally at various clubs in Boston including M-80, Venus de Milo, and Avalon before taking his venture to San Juan, Puerto Rico. There, he was one of the founders of 1 World Productions, a company that revolutionized the nightclub business on the island. 1 World owned and operated Club Ibiza, Club Red, and Club Babylon, and produced events such as The Mansion, Café Atlantico, Opera, and the Palomino Parties. DJ Abdullah produced The Essential Colony and the 1 World Euro Collection, which included the number one hit in Puerto Rico, "You Are My Sunshine." He also co-owned and operated the Ground Zero restaurant in Old San Juan. Abdullah was a self-taught "techie" from his earliest years at the Powderhouse Community School in Somerville. After his time in Puerto Rico, he returned to the states as a user experience (UX) designer at tech firms of all sizes in DC, San Francisco, Seattle, Brooklyn, and Austin. He is well-known and well-respected in the UX community, having spent time with companies including VMware, frog design, Microsoft, Story Worldwide, and most recently, IBM. He was the go-to for all things technical, often making visits home to Boston to provide invaluable tech support to a family member. Abdullah was a kind and giving soul who had a gift for connecting to people from every corner of the world, thanks to his quick wit, infectious sense of humor, enthusiasm, and resourcefulness. He had many passions and interests. He developed a fondness for sailing during his time in San Francisco. He attributed his adventurous appetite and diverse cooking skills to his mother, who lovingly fed the family delectable home-cooked meals each day in their Somerville house. He eagerly shared these passions as well as his love of music, travel, tech, and the Red Sox with his beloved family and friends. Most recently, he had begun plans to return home to Massachusetts to be closer to his family. His legacy will live on with his nieces and nephews, whose lives and personalities would have been incomplete without him. A Service and Burial took place at Knollwood Memorial Park in Canton, MA, where he now lays to rest beside his mother, father, sister, and brother-in-law. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Abdullah's memory to the following non-profit organizations dedicated to bringing equality and opportunity to technology: Coding It Forward codingitforward.com or Tech Goes Home techgoeshome.org Please use recipient email AbdullahShaikhUX@gmail.com

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