A Tribute to Jubby: 1953 – 2018

“‘Jubby’ was our lucky charm under the ackee tree and we will miss him dearly.”

So says Chair of the Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC) Lorna Lee.

The staff of WROC – and the surrounding community – are heartbroken at the tragic death of Richard Llewellyn (“Jubby”), their caretaker for a number of years. A sad post on Instagram said:

Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our dear friend and caretaker Mr. Richard Llewellyn, better known as “Jubby.” We stand in condemning this senseless act of violence that took his life at 12:30 midday on Saturday, harmless to the men, who gunned him down while trying to get out of the line of fire in his neighbourhood. As with many others, this was an innocent life taken. We must do better and come together as a nation to see how best we can get our young men to stop this life of wanton violence in Jamaica. It’s been THREE DAYS since this incident with no media reporting… #RIP #EndGunViolence #Violence #InnocentLife #WROCJamaica

Mr. Llewellyn was shot dead in a “drive-by” shooting at a shop on Rousseau Road, along with an eighteen year-old. They were rushed to hospital and pronounced dead there. It appears to have been a gang-related incident; the murderers were perhaps aiming at a member of a rival gang whom they had spotted. Jubby had problems with his legs, and could not move fast; the bullets were too fast for him.

I can see Jubby’s face now: his deep-set eyes, his serious gaze, and his polite greeting whenever I came to the office. He wore a frayed, but comfortable baseball cap. When he was relaxing and had someone to play with, he used to sit under the tree, playing dominoes – just like in the photograph WROC posted.

Today (Tuesday) the WROC staff sat down with members of the Seniors Club, on the verandah of the office on Beechwood Avenue, for a counselling session. This is very hard. Senior citizens living in feel especially vulnerable at times like these; they need support and reassurance. My heart goes out to them.

“Jubby” was 64 years old. A gentle and humble man. He is not a statistic. He is another innocent victim of the state of madness that we are living in.

Rest in peace, Mr. Llewellyn. You are sadly missed.