Father wishes for cheerful funeral

Wearing his deceased son's number 7 jersey yesterday, father David revealed to The Gleaner that he would like today's thanksgiving service for the life of his only child, Dominic James, to be cheerful.

The funeral will take place at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, located on George Headley Road in Kingston, adjacent to St George's College, at 10:00 a.m.

"I would like the service to be cheerful, especially given that his life was what it was. I didn't know that he had made such an impact," said James.

"I just want to give God thanks for his life and the impact that he has made on the society," James told The Gleaner.

James was attending the St George's College ISSA/FLOW Manning Cup match at Winchester Park yesterday, where he would normally watch his son train and play football.

"I would prefer not to have to deal with the loss of my son, but I have to accept it now or eventually. It's difficult. God is our strength, and we've got a lot of support from well-wishers near and far," he continued.

The former St George's College captain collapsed during a Manning Cup match on September 20 and died after being rushed to hospital just shy of his 19th birthday on September 26.

Speaking of the loss of his son, James said: "A huge vacuum is left in the home, and the home is just not the same."

HONOURING DOMINIC

He added: "We hope that something can be set up in his honour. We want to, hopefully, play a part in assisting unfortunate footballers with their academics."

Besides the Flow Super Cup Most Valuable Player award named in honour of Dominic, James was of the view that youngsters who strike the balance between school and academics should be assisted in his son's honour.

"We believe in the balancing of both books and football. Thank God for Dominic, he had natural ability," he stressed.

Yesterday, The Gleaner Company and other organisations presented sympathetic plaques to the St George's College team at Winchester Park.