It took a man the calibre of Rupert Lloyd Anderson Christie to spawn a one-time commercial airline pilot turned captain and flight instructor for one of the world’s leading five-star airlines; an international marketing communications and management consultant; an acclaimed professor of paediatrics; a paediatric and emergency room nurse; and a lawyer turned contractor general of Jamaica who has kept many a Government on its toes.

Himself a formidable educator turned top insurance executive, the 84-year-old Christie — who passed in April after a prolonged illness — was Saturday (5) hailed by friends and family alike for giving “many, many years to kith and kin” during a thanksgiving ceremony for his life held at the St Luke’s Anglican Church in Cross Roads in the Corporate Area. Christie had been a member before relocating to the Cayman Islands where he passed away. Saturday’s service was one of two, the other held last week at the St George’s Anglican Church in Grand Cayman.
The balmy afternoon, the quietly reflective guests, and the lack of hurry provided the perfect backdrop for the eulogising of the man remembered for being the giant of his family having a will of steel who fostered every dream once articulated.

In the eulogy, Contractor General Greg Christie recalled a man who was an “exemplary father and husband, exceptionally devoted to his family; which for him, was everything”.

“Daddy was a man of strong character and unbridled integrity. He was ethical and uncompromising in his principles and beliefs. If he gave you his word about something you could take it to the bank. I have never known him not to keep a commitment that he had given,” said the contractor general, the eldest son of the deceased.

“Dad taught us invaluable life lessons and family values… he taught us discipline, wisdom, patience, and understanding… our father taught us how to make your word your bond, he taught us to stand up, at all times, for what you believed in and what you knew was right — even if when you looked around you, you were the only one standing,” he continued.

Friend Lemuel Hurlston, speaking on behalf of the business community, said “Lloyd was a most dedicated manager whose qualifications and experience as a teacher served him well in the business community”. He said the man, whom he could vouch for in every respect, was a humble and generous benefactor who gave to the less fortunate and made it a duty to contribute to educational pursuits especially those benefiting the youth.

Christie’s wife of 17 years (second marriage), Desiree, reminiscing bravely about her husband, said “we had a good life”.

“My life was made richer by the years we spent together,” she told congregants.

Wednesday, Very Reverend Franklyn Jackson, delivering the sermon, said the world needed more men like Christie who “stood tall at a time when the world and the nation was in serious trouble”.

Christie worked as an insurance executive with British American, Capital Life and Travellers Insurance Company before establishing his own firm, Lloyd Christie Insurance Agency.

He is also survived by siblings Thelma, Sylvia, Dudley, Kathleen, Edmund and Delroy; children Celia, Constance, Alison, and Geoffrey; and grandchildren Natalie, Chevaughn, Jason, Jonathan, Matthew, Brandon, Celine, Abigail and other relatives.
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