by Kirk M. DaSilva

EDITOR: As Vincentians of all works of life commiserate with the family of the late Sir Vincent, I am sure that Lady Vida and the rest of his family would be greatly heartened in the realization that their loss is genuinely shared by Vincentians whose lives he authentically touched in so many ways.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has lost a man of great grace. He brought into his politics and social relationships an infectious demeanor that made him lovable. Indeed, it was this affable disposition which won him the esteem of all sectors of our community.

Sir Vincent was a humble man. His was an unaffected humility which is one of the hallmarks of a great man. He was a reasonable man, courteous, upright, honorable and considerate, always ready to lend a listening ear. He was a devoted man who worked hard and whose dedication to serve his people whether through politics or otherwise went far beyond the call of duty. He, at an age when most people would have retired, undertook, solely from a sense of public duty and responsibility, the various offices he held.

His life is beautifully summed up by the well-known quotation from Shakespeare’s tragedy
Julius Caesar: “his life was gentle and the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all the world, this was a man”!

We should all thank God for the life of Sir Vincent. I am most grateful for the time spent with him.

Sir Vincent your race has been well-run, your work well done.