IN life Winston Robinson had a huge circle of friends.

So, the hundreds of mourners who turned out last Sunday to bid farewell to the well-loved mechanic — affectionately called ‘Tata’ — at a thanksgiving service for his life at the Constant Spring Seventh-day Adventist Church in St Andrew, came as no surprise.

The huge church hall in which Robinson’s body lay in a predominantly black-and-yellow casket — the colours of his motorcycle — offered standing room only. Mourners spilled over into the churchyard and the parking lot of nearby Manor Centre.

Many cried and nodded in approval as tribute after tribute recalled his kind-heartedness. He was remembered as a great father, a wonderful husband and son, a protective sibling and a ‘big brother’ to many others in the Whitehall Avenue community, and in particular Burke Lane where he lived for most of his life.

His widow Angela and son Aaron were strongly supported by family members and well-wishers. They, too, heard of the many people who respected and loved “Tata”. His mother Mavis Robinson and siblings Ann-Marie, Hyacinth, and Derrick as well as other relatives were heartened by the outpouring.

Robinson, 45, and a woman were murdered outside a bar on Manning’s Hill Road early May. The police said it was a clear case of mistaken identity, or in clichéd terms, both were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The two innocent souls were mistaken for aggressors who were earlier involved in a fight at the bar. The police are yet to arrest anyone for the killings. Robinson’s eldest sister Angela Slue died a week later from a stroke she had suffered after hearing the shocking news about his death. She will be buried today.

Last Sunday mourners inside the church and those who stood outside, near the windows and doors, listened keenly as Elder Sylvester Martin delivered the sermon, offering comforting words to the family before committing Robinson’s body beyond the realm of man and into God’s care.

Outside the church gates mourners, in almost equal numbers, rocked to reggae music blaring from a small sound system as if to soothe their overflowing emotions.

His biking companions put on a great show for the mourners and no doubt for Robinson, who had a genuine love for fast motorcycles. Relatives fittingly pasted a picture of him posing on this own inside the casket.

The bike stunt tributes continued on to Ranch in Clermont Pen, St Mary, where Robinson was interred. Hundreds more mourners, finally accepting that Robinson’s time on earth had ended, followed to pay their last respects.