JAMAICAN cultural icon Eric Winston Coverley was last week eulogised as a patriot with a commitment to the visual and performing arts that demonstrated his passion for all good things in Jamaica.

In delivering the eulogy, family friend, Gail Scala, told hundreds of mourners at the Faith Sanctuary Church in Toronto, Canada, that Coverley had three loves in his life — his family, his work and his country.

“Over the course of almost two decades he would entertain thousands of Jamaicans with his productions of 21 Christmas Morning concerts,” she said. “He was the creator and organiser of many spectacular floats, pageants and festivals and he is the man who brought the first ‘Coney Island Circus’ to Jamaica.”

Hundreds of persons packed the Faith Sanctuary Church in Toronto last Thursday to pay their final respects to Coverley, the husband of Jamaica’s ambassador of culture, Louise Bennett-Coverley, popularly known as “Miss Lou”. He died two weeks ago in Toronto at age 91.

Scala recounted the first meeting between Eric Coverley and Louise Bennett, saying it happened when “Miss Lou” was almost 17 years old and Coverley, 25, and according to Miss Lou, “mi did tink him pretty”.

Coverley was the person who paid “Miss Lou” her first professional fee. The friendship became a union that lasted for 48 years.

“Eric was a product of an era that valued old-fashioned traditions and embraced the ideals of chivalry,” said Scala. “He was a true master at being a gentleman, and just being in his presence inspired you to become a better person.”

Jamaica’s minister of labour and social security, Dean Peart, attended the funeral and read Prime Minister P J Patterson’s tribute to Coverley.

“His long-time contribution to the arts — performing and visual — was marked by a commitment to excellence and a deep passion for all things good in Jamaica,” said the prime minister.

“Eric Coverley was the consummate good citizen and his leadership and devotion to community interests will long be remembered in the village of Gordon Town in the St Andrew hills where he and his wife made their home for many years,” Patterson added.

Jamaica’s high commissioner to Canada, Raymond Wolfe, read a message from the minister of tourism and sport, Portia Simpson Miller, in which she also paid tribute to Coverley.

Coverley’s son, Fabian, shared some memories of his father with the congregation. “Daddy taught me to love and respect people and also to love and respect myself,” he said.

Although Coverley was a draughts person by trade, he would compete with the best architect around, said his son, and this was evidenced in the many festival floats he created and the five houses he built in Gordon Town.

For his contribution to Jamaica’s culture and theatre, Coverley was honoured with the Order of Distinction, the Institute of Jamaica’s Centenary Medal for drama and dance and the Institute’s Silver Musgrave Medal for performing arts and theatre.

He was laid to rest at Highland Memory Gardens in Toronto.