MONTEGO BAY, St James — It was a very emotional atmosphere, enveloped inside the St James Parish Church on Thursday during the thanksgiving service for the life of late accountant Berlyn Thompson, a former deputy mayor of Montego Bay, especially when three of his four children delivered moving tributes.

A tearful Dr Elon Thompson, who is past president of the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association, reflected that his father was a visionary who realised his main dream of all his children attaining tertiary education.

“My father was a dreamer [and] his most important dream, he realised — which was to see all his children graduate from university. Education was a priority in our household; daddy would not ease up when it came to education. He was adamant that nothing would stop us from receiving a good education. He stood by me every step of the way in my pursuit of education,” Dr Thompson emphasised.

His siblings Roger and Belinda Thompson Jackson concurred about their father’s strong emphasis on the education of his children.

“Our dad encouraged us to chase our goals. [He was someone] who was always willing to sacrifice his comfort so that we were free to be everything that we wanted to be,” Roger expressed.

Thompson Jackson added that her father was a man of principle who “raised all his four children to have these same core values”.

“You [deceased] did whatever it took to ensure we have the highest education. I am sure you are proud of Elon’s profession as he was the one who took care of you with the highest quality of health care in your final days with us,” she said as she struggled unsuccessfully to hold back the tears.

Noting that his father was always protective of his children, Dr Thompson recounted an incident as a child when he came down with an asthma attack and was initially refused entry at hospital by the security guards, much to the chagrin of his father.

“I remembered when I had an asthma attack and my father took me to the hospital. And the [security personnel] — who think they can triage patients at times — they didn’t want to let us in because they said I wasn’t looking sick enough. That didn’t go down well with my father. Choice words were [uttered] and a few phone calls were made and I was let into the emergency room for care,” Dr Thompson recounted.

He also recalled in 2010 when he was driving his motor car from Kingston to Montego Bay one dark night and accidentally hit a dog, which caused damage to a section of the vehicle.

“Reaching Montego Bay I looked at the car and realised that the grille was damaged. I was a bit upset — for those who know me, I can get upset.

“I was upset, and I told my father. He tried to calm me down.”

He said after complaining, the following morning his father drove to Rio Bueno, at the border of Trelawny and St Ann, where he found the missing part to the damaged grille and returned to Montego Bay.

“What struck me was that the next day he actually drove out to Rio Bueno and looked for the missing part to my car. And he actually found it and brought it back and I was actually able to put in back on my car,” Dr Thompson recalled.

He added: “I think my father’s best qualities were honesty, integrity and compassion for people. I have tried to model my life in this way as well.”

For his part, Minister of National Security and Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang was impressed by the former Jamaica Labour Party councillor’s non-partisan characteristics during his stewardship of the Mount Salem Division of the then St James Parish Council.

“He was the only councillor to have represented the Labour Party in that area but I can remember when walking in Mount Salem with Berlyn one time, he said ‘Horace all a dem a Comrade down there so but we get on, and when I can help them I help them.’ He was never contentious, he was never in any way partisan or bitter. He served all his people and sought to help everyone that he could help — that was a part of Berlyn’s literal character fabric,” Dr Chang underscored. “It was a difficult time but Berlyn retained his composure at all times. He walked everywhere, he visited everyone. He displayed the best qualities of public service and political character. Honesty, commitment and sincerity — that was the Berlyn Thompson we knew.”

Orville Grey and Reverend Canon Calvin McIntyre, both of the Harmony Lodge, and former mayor of Montego Bay Shalmon Scott also gave glowing tributes to the late councillor, who was Scott’s deputy.

Among the mourners in attendance at the thanksgiving service was former Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

The late Thompson was also remembered as a member of the board of the Jamaica Railway Corporation.