Time seemed to have stopped in the Atlantis Crown Ballroom as friends and family members from around The Bahamas and the world gathered to pay tribute to the life of international developer Howard Kerzner.
Grief-stricken family and friends of ‘Butch’, as he was affectionately called, could not hide their pain as they mourned the loss of “the face of the future.”
The 42-year-old hotel and resort tycoon was killed, along with three others, on October 11 when the Robinson 44 helicopter in which they were travelling crashed into a building on The Dominican Republic’s north coast.
Prime Minister Perry Christie said he now has to share in the unexpected and untimely end of a man who was widely loved and regarded as a beacon of the future. “Such is the loss of Howard ‘Butch’ Kerzner, gone too soon,” he somberly said. “It is a sad time for Atlantis and the Kerzner family, but they must move on. We must agree that they have lost a leading light, a vital spirit that has impacted this country. Yes, they have lost an important face of their and our future. This is a good time to say this is a sad time for the Bahamas.”
PM Christie added that with the death of ‘Butch’ Kerzner, “we have lost a key player in our economy,” but from that he added, “we must move on because we have lost a friend with a big heart.”
He described ‘Butch’ as a man who was full of energy and passion and encouraged the bereaved family to move on “though they face the pain of a wound that never truly heals.”
Colourful flower arrangements decorated the ballroom where the large crowd sat and listened as Butch’s loved ones reminisced about the times they had spent together. The Prime Minister was just one of the speakers to express condolences and sympathy to the family. Butch’s wife Vanessa and visionary father Sol, sat front and centre at the calming event fighting back tears as they remembered happier times.
But leader of the Free National Movement Hubert Ingraham said Butch’s life is indeed a success story, one that should be told because of his commitment to getting the job done. The FNM leader added that ‘Butch’ and his father rescued Paradise Island from its drowning state. “One only need recall what Paradise Island looked like 13 years ago when the place was run down, hotel room occupancy rates were low and many hotel employees felt a reduced income,” he said. “It is clear to me that during his 13 years working with tourism in The Bahamas, he became a representative of The Bahamas.”
Shortly after Butch’s death, his mourning family announced that, granting his wish, there would be no memorial service. But during a two-minute surprise speech made by his father, Sol Kerzner stated that the family could not have let his son’s death go by without giving the people of The Bahamas a chance to say farewell.
“Butch did not want people to have a memorial and mourn for him,” Mr Kerzner said. “But we believe that it was appropriate to have the people who came to love him participate today.”
Butch Kerzner’s name became synonymous with helping the children of The Bahamas and ensuring that they had proper facilities to learn and play.
Now, the entire country joins the Kerzners in celebrating his life.
By IANTHIA SMITH Nassau Guardian Staff Reporter
