Twenty-three-year-old Barbados Defence Force (BDF) soldier Kent Smith might not have been much of a talker.
But he loved music, was devoted to his family and job, was willing to do things for people and always had a word of encouragement.
This is how relatives, friends and former workmates described the young man of Upper Carlton, St James who died after a motor vehicle accident at around 1:15 a.m. yesterday on Bourbon Road, St Lucy.
Smith, who died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital joined the BDF in 2006 and served as an engineering technician in the Coast Guard, holding the rank of able seaman.
Commander of the Barbados Coast Guard, Sean Reece, told the DAILY NATION: “His untimely death has saddened all of us. He will truly be missed.”
The former Coleridge and Parry student’s grieving sister Renee Smith explained that her brother was “on his way home after dropping off somebody” when he was involved in the accident.
“You can know when Kent home because he enjoyed music and always used to have the radio on,” she said.
“He was such a quiet person who hardly talked. The family is really going to miss him.”
Smith’s best friend Corey Browne, also a member of the BDF, described him as an individual who took life seriously and had the ability to make mature decisions despite his age.
“Kent was a very fun person and he was a quiet; he was not violent or confrontational,” Browne said.
“He believed in his duties as a soldier and took them very seriously. Kent was also a family-oriented person who loved his mother and his sisters and he always wanted the best for them.
“He was too young to be taken away from this world; he never saw a star pitch yet.”
Smith’s death also shocked workers at the Do-It-Best Speightstown branch where he worked for more than three years prior to joining the BDF.
“He was a very nice person and willing to do things. He was positive and always encouraging,” said former workmate Shawna Hunte.
Smith’s death brings to nine the number of road deaths this year. (AH)
