A packed church, two packed tents and hundreds standing told of the love and respect for highly successful businessman Lloyd Alleyne, who was laid to rest at the Holy Trinity church in St Philip yesterday.
Alleyne, who died Tuesday, May 17, at the age of 80, was a renowned supermarket owner who managed several outletsin Bridgetown and in a few rural parishes.
He was remembered as a selfless and generous man who gave to his family, friends and strangers alike, a humble son of the soil who “was also a no-frills, no-nonsense type of businessman” and much respected by his contemporaries.
His daughter Shurla Alleyne-Dear, in the eulogy, said his business journey began in the early 1950s with a small one-door shop in Wellhouse, St Philip.
He later ventured into Bridgetown after to focus on expanding his operations and fulfilling the many dreams of his young and fervent mind.
Known as a businessman who led from the front, Alleyne could always be seen on the floor of the workplace with sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and if he were in cold storage or at the back of the warehouse, rest assured he would always be wearing his trademark tall rubber boots.
Alleyne was said to be a captain who ran a very tight ship, one who expected his employees to be early for work and frowned on absenteeism.
“Christmas Eve was always the one day in the life of the Shamrock staff that they never looked forward to because ‘Mr Allen’ would not close his shop doors until every last customer left even if that meant midnight,” Alleyne-Dear said, bringing tears of joy from his family members.
Despite all of his success in the retail and wholesale sector, Alleyne-Dear said her father was proudest about his carpentry skills.
“He often boasted of riding from St Philip to Bridgetown to work as an apprentice carpenter and receiving mere pennies as his weekly wage, but felt proud that he was learning a lifelong trade.
Among those attending his funeral were Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, Minister of Housing Michael Lashley, Minister of Family, Culture, Sports and Youth Stephen Lashley, Speaker of the House Michael Carrington, President of the Senate Sir Branford Taitt, and businessman Sir David Seale.
