THE recurring theme woven through the tributes for former minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Leslie Campbell was that of a man who rose through hardship, served others with humility, and left behind a legacy defined by integrity, faith, generosity, and unwavering commitment to family and community.

Campbell, a respected attorney-at-law who served as a minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, a senator, chairman of the Sports Development Foundation, and deputy treasurer of the Jamaica Labour Party, was accorded an official funeral at Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston on Saturday. The three-hour thanksgiving service — which saw friends, family members, political colleagues, and well-wishers gathering to celebrate his life through tributes and music — began with the procession into the church of a ceremonial party of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, bearing the urn and the country’s flag, to the strains of People Like You by Gramps Morgan.

For his sister, Audrey Campbell, her brother’s life was one built upon the sacrifices of generations before him. She reflected on a quote that she said best captures his journey: “The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward through the night.”

“His personal and professional ascent was carved through much toil and hardship. He knew that pulling himself up by his own boot straps meant he had to first acquire boots, nothing would be handed to him; knocking at doors would never give him access, sometimes he just had to kick those doors open. He could not be a coward, he had to be willing to take risks — and that he did,” Audrey reflected.

Yet, despite his accomplishments, she said he never lost the humour and warmth that endeared him to so many.

“The humorist showed up in every area of his life. When faced with insurmountable challenges it was guaranteed he would see the humour in it. He saw the funny side of everything, even his own misfortunes, after a good laugh, followed by, ‘Lord in your divine mercy we must carry on, what else can we do?’ ”

She recalled that while he loved laughter, there was no mistaking when he became serious.

Audrey added that there was little surprise that he became a lawyer, recalling childhood memories of him debating and challenging almost everyone he encountered. She also praised his commitment to public service.

Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who formed part of the ceremonial party for the thanksgiving service celebrating the life of the late Leslie Campbell, which was held at Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston on Saturday, are a picture of concentration.

“Leslie had a heart for service because, I suppose, he understood well the challenges of his community. Nothing much has changed since the times he traversed those hills and valleys in his youth. With a vision to support and develop his community, he gave himself but endured much anguish in said pursuit,” she said.

Even in his final years, she noted, Campbell remained eager to pursue new passions, particularly farming.

Concluding her tribute, she offered words of pride and farewell.

“Leslie, your report card still reads excellent. Mother, your son did good. Go rest high on that mountain son, your work on Earth is done. You ran your race, you fought the good fight, you kept the faith, and though your voice is now silent, your legacy speaks still in your children, your family, your community, and in all whose lives you made better,” Audrey said.

Among those most visibly moved was Dr Aundre Franklin, close friend and deputy chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party of which Campbell was a member for 27 years. Fighting back tears, Franklin remembered a friend whose leadership was rooted in service.

“He served with unshakeable integrity. He was truthful and principled, accountable, and transparent. He served by elevating others rather than self-promotion. He led by example, mastering the servant-hearted approach to leadership. This was evident in the offices that Leslie Campbell held,” said Franklin.

The pair shared many travels together, and Franklin recounted how Campbell’s gift for connecting with people transcended language barriers.

Family members, friends and political colleagues of Leslie Smith gather at his thanksgiving service on Saturday at Fellowship Tabernacle.

“He was a friend who never told me I was wrong, and I like him for that,” Franklin joked, prompting laughter inside the sanctuary. “He would prefer to say, ‘Not quite, Dr Franklin,’ and occasionally I would get a loud, ‘Indeed, indeed,’ when I was correct. He had a brilliant mind and an excellent memory.”

Franklin remembered a man who loved his staff, loved the practice of law, and embodied the saying that “Good friend better than pocket money.”

“I am a better person having known him,” he said.

Others remembered Campbell’s deep faith. He was described as a man of God who prayed regularly for Jamaica.

His daughter, Dana Mattison, offered a poignant tribute through poetry, reflecting on the “dash” between a person’s birth and death and how the choices made during that period ultimately determine the story told at life’s end.

For another sister, Carol Campbell, Leslie naturally assumed the role of family patriarch after their father’s passing.

“Leslie replaced our father as chief, without ceremony or fanfare. He had old-school values which ushered him into this role. It’s not a role you audition for, it’s simply understood that you are it, ready or not. But Les was ready; he was prepared, he was the man. He took the baton and he ran with it. To his credit, he did a good job.”

She said while the family had hoped for more time with him, he understood the reality of his condition.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness (left) greets Joshua Campbell, the son of the late Leslie Campbell. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

“It is difficult to think of him in the past tense,” she said, acknowledging that grief’s wounds may never fully heal.

“Les, bossy, until we meet again in the New Jerusalem, we love you. God speed, brother, rest well, take care, walk good,” she said.

Cousin Michelle Thame recalled that Campbell quoted scripture from his youth and continued doing so throughout adulthood. Like others, she remembered his talent for accents and his ability to make people laugh.

“Leslie always saw the cup as being half full, not half empty, no matter what the situation was. No matter what happened he was one to accept and respond in a carefully thought out manner,” said Thame.

When the pair later became neighbours she witnessed first-hand his generosity and willingness to help others.

She also reflected on one of their final conversations.

“One of our last conversations while he was in treatment overseas was his plans to bring in equipment and enter farming in a much bigger way than he had done before. I listened and heard the passion and the fight in his voice and knew that it was his core. What he had done all his life, he continued — the cup was still half full,” she said.