AINSWORTH MORRIS

Life Tributes writer

CHRISTOPHER Daniel Montique never got the opportunity to experience a full life. That was the chorus which echoed in the halls of the Swallowfield Chapel Kingston a week ago when the 24-year-old former customer service agent at LIME Jamaica was laid to rest.

It was a solemn occasion for his family, friends and co-workers who gathered to bid Montique their final goodbyes.

According to LIME’s retail manager Steven Price, who was the first of the mourners gathered to offer tribute, Montaque’s sudden death was a major shock to his colleagues at the LIME branch where he worked since he was 19-years-old.

“The premature death of a young, promising person will always shock us. It makes us slip into a reflective and sometimes depressed mood. It makes us become more aware of the transitory nature of the earthly happenings and indeed, earthly things,” Price said.

“Around this time of year, his supervisors and I would be called upon to assess his performance over the past six months. This time around, I am called to look beyond Chris’ achievement of performance targets and job objectives. For now, those are transient things,” he said further.

Price also reflected on Montique’s personality, which he said was warm and gentle, and spoke of the height jokes they would make at his expense.

“His store manager, Jomeo Allen, reports that he would always keep Chris on the floor in direct contact with customers because he has never failed a mystery shopper exercise. His people skills were always exceptional. Chris was very polite and attentive to all customers,” he said.

“One of his team members said, ‘We used to trouble Chris a lot about his height. After we

balance our records in the evenings, we would gather around Chris and begin the ragging because we knew he could take it’. One evening during balancing, one colleague said, ‘Chris, yu know sey yuh short though?’ Chris responded teasingly, ‘A wa day ya mi measure inu and mi a 5’ 7”. Then she replied, ‘5’ 7”?! How yu fi be 5’7” and me taller than you Chris?’ Everyone burst into laughter. Chris responded, ‘An yu know se mi nuh done grow yet, cause mi have a uncle an a wen him inna him 20s him still a grow, so mi know mi nuh done grow yet. Mi ago get tall, tall’,” Price recounted, much to the delight of the mourners.

Other former colleagues Troy Vassell and Valentine Evans followed Price with renditions of Around God’s Throne and Gone Too Soon.

The telecoms company then showed a video which displayed an acrostic, using adjectives to spell the late young man’s first name.

Caring

Humble

Respectful

Inspirational

Sociable

Thoughtful

Optimistic

Personable

Helpful

Energetic

Reserved

Chris was also described as hardworking, ambitious, dedicated, trustworthy, loving and deeply loved by his parents Eric and Cassandra as well as other relatives.

Representing the family, Montique’s cousin Shauna Fung Yee did the remembrance.

“Chris was a joy to be around,” she said.

“(His) death was sudden and a shock for us. We ask ‘Why did he meet such a sudden death?’ The answers we are looking for are ultimately known by God. He would not have wanted us to spend forever grieving,” she said.

Montique was buried at Meadowrest Memorial Gardens.