Ferdinand “Ranny” Smith was last Wednesday eulogised as an honest, jovial and good man whose capacity for hard work and charming personality won the hearts of his neighbours in the Birdsucker community in Barbican.

“Ranny was, to me, and still remains one of the warmest and gentlest persons I have ever met,” former political candidate for the community JP White shared with mourners at the thanksgiving service for Smith’s life at King’s Gate United Church on Hope Road.

Smith passed away on November 23 after a short illness. He was 75.

White, who once contested the St Andrew North Eastern constituency, disclosed that he was a personal friend of Smith’s for many years.

“I met Ranny when I was a child when my family moved to Birdsucker Drive in 1972. At the time, he was employed to our immediate neighbours, the Woodhams,” White said.

“At the time, I was seven years old, and I quickly developed a friendship with the Woodham children and spent lots of time at their house,” White explained, adding that in those days he and the Woodham boys gave Smith the name Mannix in reference to the star of the television detective series that was being aired in those days.

Why?

“…Ranny moved in a mystical way at times like Mannix,” White said.

Smith was a gardener and general handyman who could be relied upon to do almost any job around the house.

According to White, he and the Woodham brothers would often go on boyhood adventures, but Smith was always there to ensure that they “didn’t burn the houses down or cause serious injury” to themselves.

“I can tell you, for all those years I never felt anything but comfortable with Ranny,” White said. “He was always patient and tolerant with us. Only someone with a good heart could have endured and tolerated us… He touched the lives of many in a very positive way.”

White, in preparation for his tribute, said he spoke with a number of residents of the community. The consensus, he said, was that, “Ranny was a good, humble man who loved to work.”

Garnet Woodham, son of Anne Woodham, Smith’s employer for 42 years, agreed.

“When Ranny started a job he never left it half-finished, even in his later years,” Woodham said in his tribute delivered on behalf of his family.

“I was only 10 years old when I met Ranny. Although he was employed to my parents, he was like a big brother and friend to me,” Woodham said.

“As a schoolboy, he taught my brother Robert and I many things. He taught us how to shoot birds, how to make a slingshot, how to make a calaban. I remember the two of us going to a construction site on Birdsucker Drive, right across the street from the Whites, and setting up the calaban to catch some pea doves. We never caught any pea doves, but a ground dove was still an exciting catch,” Woodham related.

Throughout his tribute Woodham painted a picture of a man who basically protected him, his siblings and their friends.

He also spoke of the special relationship Smith had with his parents’ tenants, particularly Sharon Frater, who unhesitatingly offered him shelter after his house was razed; Janet Davidson, who cooked for Smith and got him to eat after he fell sick and lost his appetite, but eventually lost that battle in his final days; and Ermin Lim Sang, whom Smith called “Granny”, and who was also present assisting him in many ways and about whom he always spoke warmly.

Woodham thanked them all for helping Smith, and extended his family’s gratitude to the White family as he said, “Ranny frequently made reference to their generosity and constant kindness towards him.” He also thanked Julian McDonald and his wife Lisa for helping Smith get medical treatment and for doing all that was necessary to organise his funeral.

Earlier, Dr Elaine McCarthy, a close friend of Smith’s and who officiated at the service, shared his early history with the congregation.

Smith, she said, was born in Darleston, Westmoreland, on February 28, 1941.

“He went to school in that community, but his educational experience extended itself to the school of life, as his ability to grasp things and use his initiative to do things greatly enriched his educational experiences,” Dr McCarthy said.

Smith left Darleston and went to live in Mount Pleasant in St Andrew, where his father lived, and used the opportunity to build a relationship with his father.

“Eventually he decided to establish himself and come into his own, so he moved out in his quest for new experiences. This took him to Barbican, where he lived up to his death.

“It was in Barbican where the greater portion of his life experiences were earned,” Dr McCarthy said. “He was aware of his surroundings and knew everyone in the community. That was interesting, because one person said to him, ‘Ranny, the way you know everybody and everything about the community, you should run as councillor,’ and I am sure if he did, he would have given his opponents a run for their money.”

Dr McCarthy, too, said residents of the community spoke in glowing terms about Smith, with most describing him as a committed and dependable worker.

“He didn’t have to be micro-managed. He would execute his job after receiving instructions,” she said. “I can’t remember him staying away from work unless he was very, very sick, and that was rare.”

One of his closest friends, Mr Wilson, also known as “Tiler”, said Smith was ill for a long time but never told anyone the extent of his illness. “He suffered silently, as he was the kind of person who did not want to be a burden to anyone,” the congregation was told.

Smith’s remains were interred at Meadowrest Memorial Gardens.

Professional services were provided by House of Tranquility Funeral Home.