Mom, son laid to rest

WESTERN BUREAU:

ANGELLA SAMUELS, 65, and her deaf-mute son O’Neil Allen, 50, who died together in a traffic accident, were eulogised as having a passion for fashion and sci-fi movies, respectively, at their thanksgiving service on Sunday at Footprints Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Westmoreland.

The mother-son duo perished in a motor vehicle collision, along with three others, while they were on their way home from a medical appointment in Savanna-la-Mar. They were travelling in a public passenger vehicle that was operated by 47-year-old Delroy Rodney, a senior deacon of the Belmont Seventh-day Adventist Church in the parish.

Rodney is charged with five counts of causing death by dangerous driving and is before the Westmoreland Circuit Court, where he is on a bail bond of $7 million and is scheduled to return on June 7.

On Sunday, mourners who gathered at the Footprints Seventh-day Adventist Church heard that the mother and son were close to each other.

The fashionable Samuels was only able to try on the dress she’d ordered specifically for a family homecoming weekend scheduled for November 23-25 at the Footprints SDA Church last year. That’s because her colourful life was cut short by death 10 days before that weekend.

“Sister Angella was a member of my harvest group, and we made plans for that homecoming weekend. She said, ‘Elder, mi nuh have no money enuh, but I want to look good just like anybody else,’ so we ordered our dresses online,” Elder Angela Thorbourne said.

“And trust me, brethren, on the 11th of November, Sister Angella was at church, and we went into the side room, where she tried on the dress. Oh, Lord, you should see sister Angella just in a pose, and she said, ‘I think I need to take in the sides and let it sink in a little more,’” she recalled while giving tribute on behalf of the Footprints SDA Church.

Thorbourne recalled that her late church sister hugged her and told her that she would see her next Sabbath, and that she never knew that she was also a woman of fashion, like herself, who just knew how to buy nice things.

Thorbourne said that when the news of the accident came, she was at a meeting, where she encouraged those in attendance to pray for the families of those involved, not knowing at the time that she had two members of her church family who had lost their lives in the crashed vehicle.

The police reported that Samuels and Allen, both of Mount Edgecombe; 54-year-old Janet Thompson of McAlpine in Whitehouse, Westmoreland; Lavecia Forrester, 15, and her mother, Petrina Wallace of Gordon District, all died in the accident.

It is reported that about 3:30 p.m. on November 13, 2023, five people and another passenger were aboard a grey Toyota Noah being driven by Rodney, when the minivan collided with a truck which was travelling in the opposite direction.

Alcian Samuels-Bennett remembered her mother, Angella, as a woman who was not easily broken, and said that nothing could crush her spirit.

“As we grapple with the reality of her absence, let us find solace in the fact that mommy’s life, though brief, was a well-lived life,” Samuels-Bennett said, while sharing that her mother died leaving no regrets and that her life impacted many.

“Mommy, your untimely departure has left us reeling, but your spirit will definitely continue to live with us in our hearts and memories,” she continued, as she leafed through her mother’s eulogy.

“You may have left us and this world too soon, but the footprints you left in our lives will endure forever,” she said.

“We bid you farewell with heavy hearts, but also with a deep appreciation for the time we were privileged to share with you,” Samuels-Bennett said, hugging her sister, Simone Samuels-Miller.

Allen, who was born dumb as a result of rubella contracted by his mother during her pregnancy, was remembered by his sisters Samuels-Bennett and Tanya Allen-Campbell as a meticulous individual who had an inquisitive mind.

They revealed that their brother loved movies and would often spend hours watching Star Trek and others.

“Another lovely thing about my brother is that he loved sci-fi movies. He loved TV, and Star Trek. That was his favourite, and I can remember him as a young adult taking control of the TV on Saturday nights, and he would watch intently as though he would hear the dialogue or he was one of the main characters,” Samuels-Bennett said in remembrance of her brother.

Allen’s niece-in-law, Rhoda Reid-Lawrence, eulogised him as one who grew up to be a strong, respectful, patient, kind, caring, helpful, and loving man.

“He was born deaf; nevertheless, he was an active, healthy child,” Reid-Lawrence said, noting that his warm presence and welcoming personality crept into the hearts of many, and that he was loved and admired throughout his community.

“At the time of his untimely death, his mother had taken him to seek medical attention, and upon their return they met in the devastating accident.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com