WESTERN BUREAU: A September 16 funeral date has been tentatively set for former Observer vendor, Winston ‘Papa Becky’ Beckford who died in his wife’s arms last week.

But even as the family put the final touches to the funeral arrangements, they are still struggling to come to grips with his sudden passing. So too are other members of the Cambridge community where Beckford lived, as well as the newspaper vendors with whom he worked closely over the last seven years.

An autopsy performed on Thursday revealed that Beckford died from a heart attack. According to his wife, Beverly, he died in her arms.

She said that ‘Papa Becky’ complained of not feeling well last Wednesday evening. But though he experienced a bout of vomiting, when he awoke the following morning, the conscientious Beckford still went to work. After he had completed his rounds, he tried to seek medical attention, but was unsuccessful as visits to two private doctors revealed that none of them was in office.

“I came home about two o’clock and saw him lying on the bed. I told him I was going to carry him to the hospital. I then asked him if he had anything to eat, he said no and asked for a glass of milk,” his wife said sorrowfully.

She added that after drinking the milk, her husband went into convulsions and died shortly after.

“I held him in my arms for over an hour, I could not believe he was dead,” she said.

When the news of his sudden death reached the Number One Post Office in Montego Bay, where his colleague vendors gathered in the mornings to pick up their papers, a pall of gloom hung over the area.

Some spoke of the last time they had seen him, when he had come to the location on Thursday to collect what turned out to be his final batch of newspapers.

Observer contractor, Byron Hudson, described Beckford as an honest person, who was helpful and kind; while his wife remembered him as a kind, jovial and humble person.

“Everybody love him,” she said simply.

And she made it clear that media reports that he was a political activist were far from the truth, and had brought additional sorrow to their family.

She said her husband talked politics, but was never a part of the violence or squabbles.

Beckford’s funeral service will be held at the Beulah Gospel Hall in Cambridge, and the internment will follow at the Plantation Cemetery.