GRACE LADY ADAMS has been deeply moved by the public reaction to the death of her son.
Speaking yesterday from her home, Tyrol Cot at Codrington Hill, St. Michael, the mother described the late Prime Minister Tom Adams as a person who never spared himself.
She said: “I have been very grateful and deeply moved at the reaction of all sections of the public at the tragic news of the death of my dear son.
“There has been a continual stream of flowers, letters and the kindest messages since Tom died.”
Lady Adams, who had her last conversation with her son on Sunday night said she had no reason then to believe her would be dead the next day.
She continued: “No words can express appropriately what a consolation it has been to me to know that the work he did for his country has been so much appreciated by so many people.
“He never spared himself.”
Lady Adams said she had spoken to her son for a long time on Sunday night on the telephone and there was nothing wrong with him at that time.
No Trouble
She said: “There was no trouble … I figure it was just the pressure … He was living under tremendous pressure because he was very meticulous and whatever he did he did it very thoroughly.”
However, she said she had never been worried about this because all politicians must work hard.
“To me it wasn’t more than normal because he could pressure himself so hard and more than most people … I think that might have been the cause of the heart attack.”
Lady Adams also recalled the final words she had with her son…
“He had given me a video and was telling me I should have learnt to operate it. I laughed and told him he would have to come and spend half an hour to show me how to operate it properly. That was about the last thing we talked about.”
She had last seen him alive last week, Lady Adams added.
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He was called Tom before he was born
Barbados’ Late Prime Minister was given his nickname Tom before he was born, according to his mother, Grace Lady Adams, yesterday.
She said: “There was no special reason. I suppose that women call their expected children by names. I know one woman who called her child Bunny and Bunny remained Bunny all his life.
“We called mine Tom and, after he was born, he continued to be called Tom as a baby.”
She added it was his father, the late Sir Grantley, who selected his names Jon Michael Geoffrey Manningham for him.