Marlon King, the wheelchair-bound craft vendor whose life was tragically shortened last month during an accident involving a Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus, was yesterday remembered as a very resilient and inspiring individual who rose above his circumstances.

The 39-year-old artiste of Cheshire Village in St Andrew was crushed to death by a JUTC bus while travelling home along Golden Avenue in Kingston on January 29.

On Sunday, scores of members from the disabled community, along with King’s friends, family, and well wishers turned out at the Church of Jesus Christ United Faith Pentecostal in Tavern, in Kingston, to pay their final respect.

As mourner after mourner stepped up to pay their tribute to King, in spoken words and songs, it was evident that he had touched many lives and had made a lasting impression. “Articulate”, “inspiring”, “resilient”, “passionate” and “spiritual” were a few of the words used to describe him.

Life-long friend, George Spencer, who paid an emotional tribute, said he was speechless when he heard of King’s demise and was still having a hard time coming to terms with his death.

“When I heard about it, it really tear me apart,” he said. “It still hurt.” He said he would never forget his friendship with King whom he had greatly respected and admired. “There was always some inspiring words from him. He was someone you could look up to,” he also recalled.

Similar sentiments were echoed by another friend Shirlee Morgan.

“I remember him as resilient and resisting, he has been through some tough times but he always bounced back,” he said of a friend he described as “a great wheel chair dancer”.

“I have known Marlon some 20 years and I have been personally challenged, uplifted and encouraged every single time I saw Marlon, I was moved by his agility and his ability to get  about his business,” Morgan said.

Henrietta Davis-Wray, chairperson for the Combined Disabilities Association also paid tribute to King on behalf of the association’s board and the international disabled community.

“We will remember Marlon as an assertive, and at times even aggressive individual who spoke out strongly on what he believed in. The word discrimination, injustice and love for people with disabilities were frequently spoken by him especially if he felt this request were not being quickly and adequately met,” she said.

Davis-Wray urged the relevant agencies who made commitments to improve the road infrastructure for the disabled community to follow through on their promises and to work to ensure that the entire Jamaica was accessible to members of the community.

Marlon, who had lost his ability to walk at age three when he was struck by a bullet that also ended his mother’s life during a robbery at their home, left behind his father, three sisters and two brothers, other relatives and friends.

He was interred at the Dovecot Memorial Park in St Catherine.