By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Thursday 4th November 2021) — Well-known public figure, 54-year-old attorney-at-law and former President of the St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association (SKNFA) Anthony Lesroy Johnson was laid to rest following a ceremony which featured what appeared to be a marathon of sentiments shared in the presence of scores of individuals from all walks of life who gathered at the Warner Park Football Stadium on Tuesday 2nd November 2021 for the funeral service.
His son Shabazz Johnson, in delivering the eulogy, expressed: “I’m still trying to figure out how he was so many things to so many different people. Everywhere I go, I’m now bombarded with persons reminiscing on the kind acts experienced through his hands.”
A highlight of the service was a song tribute done by well-known entertainer Maurice ‘EK’ Flanders of Real Right Entertainment with a rendition of the tune ‘People Like You’, originally done by reggae artiste Gramps Morgan, which many found to be a fitting salute to the type of person Johnson was.
Shabazz told that his father was “born into humble circumstances” on the 12th March 1967 to mother Suzanna Agatha Johnson, who became famous for her homemade tamarind jam, sugar cake and other treats which were a hot sell in her local Newtown community. His father Cedric Edmond Johnson was a linesman at the sugar factory and a part-time butler, who succumbed to sudden illness in 1979.
“Perhaps it was this humble beginning that manifested into his desire to remain humble while achieving great things. He would often recount some of his life lessons fed to him by his extremely supportive mother. For instance: ‘Don’t grudge nobody for dey tings — cause you don’t know how dey get it.’ Despite his humility, he was firm in his beliefs,” Shabazz stated.
He talked about his father’s twenty-five (25) year legal career which spanned the borders of Tortola, BVI to St. Kitts-Nevis and even to Montserrat. “The pinnacle of his legal career saw him pool together a formidable force in the firm of Johnson and Associates.”
Attorneys, footballers, fete goers, vendors, performers and politicians were included on the list of those whose lives his father touched. “Whether it’s the senior attorneys who would recall the support and advice given during their time as juniors — whether it be the footballers, the referees and other members of the football fraternity who he became bonded to through a mutual passion for the sport — whether it be the aspiring or seasoned politicians whose success could be attributed to his mentorship, orchestration and influence — he was never afraid to sacrifice.”
Shabazz recalled: “I must admit it was often difficult at times to support all of his various ambitions knowing that it came with a direct cost to his personal health. It was never easy witnessing firsthand the detrimental effects of many missed meals as a result of a busy schedule but at the end of it, it’s as though servitude to others is what made him happy; it’s what he lived for. He strived to help everyone but found it sometimes difficult to help himself.”
“He led by example through his tireless work ethic, through his unshakeable integrity, through his deep faith in God and his intense love for family and friends. It’s no wonder then that my father had no shortage of people who loved and truly cared for him. It’s a telling testament of his character,” he continued.
Shabazz recalled their conversation on the day before his passing: “I am told that on the fateful day, in addition to mentioning my name during his final hours, he gave a nod and thumbs up. ‘Take care of everybody,’ he said. He’s gone far too soon and the loss of this incredibly gifted man is made even more heartbreaking by the promise of what else he might have accomplished had he also had the gift of time.”
The late Anthony Lesroy Johnson was buried at the Springfield Cemetery in Basseterre. He passed away on 3rd October from an illness.