Passionate. Versatile. Committed.

Across decades and media houses, Job Nelson was a custodian of the sporting soul, translating the drama of competition into prose that resonated with readers far and wide.

From the fervent arenas to the quiet corners of training grounds, his keen eye and empathetic spirit captured the essence of each moment, infusing it with meaning that transcended mere scores and statistics.

But on Tuesday night, Nelson’s three-decade journalism career came to a tragic end, triggering a wave of shock and grief among relatives, colleagues, associates, and sports lovers across the island.

The 53-year-old was fatally shot while travelling along Spanish Town Road in Kingston after he allegedly stopped at the traffic light in the vicinity of St Andrew Technical High School.

Nelson reportedly crashed his vehicle into a utility pole while attempting to transport himself to hospital. He was assisted by residents of the area to the nearby Kingston Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Nelson was employed at The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited as a sports coordinator at the time of his death.

His killing has cast a wave of disbelief over his relatives and colleagues.

“Job is a pacifist, the first person to be the peacemaker, the first person to say, ‘This isn’t necessary; we don’t need to have an argument’. It is wholly ironic that somebody who is like that would die violently,” a shaken Gleaner Sports Editor Paul-Andre Walker said yesterday.

Growing up in Craig Town in Kingston and Waterford in Portmore, St Catherine, Nelson always expressed a great love for sports, football and table tennis especially. Interestingly, though, his family thought he would end up a musician as he also had an affinity with drums, his older brother Mark Nelson said.

But after graduating from St Catherine High School in 1988, at the urging of Mark, Nelson joined the staff at the now-defunct Jamaica Record, where he cut his teeth in journalism.

But although Nelson’s latest stint was in the sporting arena, he covered many beats throughout his long career.

“Professionally, he was an all-rounder. He does everything – graphics, pagination, online. And this is not just online for sports. This is online for everything – news, everything. He did photography, he was a sports reporter; he was one of my editors,” Walker said.

Noting that Nelson’s death is not only an immense loss to the Gleaner newsroom but to the profession as a whole, Walker grieved the impact it will have on younger reporters, who were benefiting from his tutelage.

Describing Nelson as a “dedicated, and reliable lieutenant”, Gleaner Editor-in-Chief Moya Thomas said the team was still struggling to come to terms with his murder.

“I am not sure that the fact or the impact has truly dawned on us because this is a difficult one to come to terms with ... . Many of us saw and spoke with Job only hours before his life was taken,” she said. “ THE STAR, The Gleaner, and our online spaces will also most definitely feel it.”

Anthony Smith, CEO of the RJRGLEANER Group, expressed sincere condolences to his family, close friends, and colleagues.

“Job was well loved in the group, and persons have been expressing shock and sadness at his passing. He will be sorely missed,” he noted.

Nelson’s admirable work ethic saw him enjoying numerous stints at different media entities over the years, including at the Jamaica Herald, the Sunday Herald, X-News, and SportGlobe. He also worked at Loop News Jamaica and the Jamaica Observer.

Julian Richardson, the online content manager at the Jamaica Observer, was Nelson’s manager during his time at Loop News, where Nelson worked as a freelance sports writer for seven years.

He recalled and appreciated his adaptability and commitment to the development of the team.

“Job was very dependable, very humble. He was always willing to take on any task that you required of him. He joined as a sports writer, but we had Job doing everything – lifestyle, business, you name it. Job was always willing, and that’s what I’ll remember about Job,” he told The Gleaner.

Christine King, a former executive of the now-defunct Sunday Herald, said she was very impressed with Job’s creativity and punctuality when he worked at the newspaper in his early years in journalism.

“He was a very good employee, and he was at work on time, and he just sat there and did what he had to do,” she said. “He was good at what he did, a very hard-working young man. He had his visions of what he wanted to do and what he wanted to be.”

On days when the pressures of the job got the best of his colleagues, Franklin McKnight, who also worked with Nelson at The Jamaica Herald, said he had a calming effect on people.

“His behaviour was gentle. He was a gentleman. He didn’t want any light to shine upon him, generally, and he was just a guy who tried to keep in the back row,” McKnight recalled.

Nelson is remembered by his brother as a sharp thinker, and although his often-unassuming demeanour concealed this, Mark said Job spoke up when it mattered.

“He’s strong on principles and will defend himself and defend his principle, but he usually does not get agitated as I would as easily. If something happens, he would not be afraid to express himself,” he said.

The only thing that competed with dedication to the job was the love he had for his 24-year-old daughter, Jodiann Nelson, whose academic achievements he would often brag about to his coworkers.

Jodiann recently graduated from St John’s University in New York with a degree in actuarial science and is looking forward to starting her postgraduate degree in data engineering.

She credited her father for inspiring and supporting her dreams.

“I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you will never get to see me cross the stage when I get my master’s, or walk me down the aisle when I get married, or when I achieve many of the things we talked about. It pains my heart that now I can only refer to you in the past tense, but you will always exist in the present tense in my heart,” she said.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness extolled Nelson’s contribution to journalism.

“Job was not just a remarkable professional, but also a cherished member of our community,” he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the Press Association of Jamaica, in expressing shock at Nelson’s killing, urged the authorities to expedite their investigation in bringing his killers to justice.

“Such heinous acts of violence cannot be tolerated, and we stand united in our demand for accountability and justice,” it said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com