IT’S doubtful that the staff of Tishey Graphics, specialists in the printing and design of funeral programmes, had ever envisaged that they would have to one day handle that of their owner, much less his son. But following Monday’s horriffic highway crash which claimed the life of Delmar Sherriffe and his son Jamie, that might just be the unwelcome reality.

Delmar was 37 and Jamie, only nine.

The family — Delmar, his wife Annieta, and his two sons from a previous marriage, Jamie and Teque, 11 — were on their way home from Mandeville when their Suzuki Vitara collided with a delivery truck that was travelling in the same direction. Police were up to last night still searching for the truck driver who the Constabulary Communication Network said fled the scene.

The incident, which occurred shortly after 7:00 pm on Highway 2000 in the vicinity of Old Harbour, left Anita and Teque badly injured and they had to be hospitalised.

But the grief for Annieta will no doubt be magnified for she was only married to Delmar for four months, having tied the knot earlier this year. The two also recently bought a house together.

When the Observer visited the couple’s Kingston home Tuesday, friends and family fought hard to contain their grief.

Delmar’s mother-in-law Norma Stephenson, too distraught to speak, sat shaking her head in disbelief and asking “Why?”

Delmar’s brother-in-law Rohan Stephenson, who appeared to be trying his best to stay strong, said that he was on the road Monday night when he got the news about the incident.

He said the Sherriffes were heading home from Mandeville where they had gone to prepare for the opening of another branch of the business and that his sister spoke about the truck driver trying to overtake their vehicle before the accident occurred.

“Based on what I heard the driver of the truck was drunk and was driving recklessly on the road,” he alleged.

Describing his brother-in-law as “a very kind, easy-going person”, Stephenson said Delmar would truly be missed especially by his mother-in-law, who had a close relationship with him as he loved her cooking.

“He was loved by all and embraced by the family, we can find no fault with him because he made my sister happy and she loved him,” said Stephenson.

One of Delmar’s employees, Raymond Wiggins, and his church sister, Deon Sharrers, shared similar sentiments.

“Right now no work not going on because we are all in mourning, but tomorrow we going back to work because Mr Sherriffe’s legacy must go on,” said Wiggins, who described his boss as a family man, a devoted Christian, a motivator, a hard worker and a good listener who was reliable and dependable.

Said Sharrers: “Honestly, we can’t come to. Just Sunday we saw him at Church and only to hear on Monday that he died, it is rough,” she said.

But in spite of their grief, they were grateful Annieta and Teque had survived.

Stephenson said that his sister was discharged from hospital yesterday while Teque, who had sustained a head injury, was recovering slowly.