Eulogy of Reverend Stephen A. Gittens
Church of the Nazarene
Collymore Rock
St. Michael
Tuesday January 25, 2022
I want to say good morning to all of you who are gathered here to pay final respect to one that we call a giant of a man - the Reverend Stephen A. Gittens. To prepare and document a eulogy may not be the easiest thing for anyone to do at this moment because Stephen would have traversed in the short space of time that God has granted him life, the width and breadth of Barbados, impacting every facet of life in Barbados – social, religious, educational, sporting and maybe, other areas we may not be aware of. I am sure that there are many other areas that overlap. So today, I am going to do things a little different in presenting this multi-dimensional person that we will lay to rest a little later.
Stephen was born on April 25th 1962 to loving parents Ira and Charles Gittens, and he was one of nine siblings. But if you had to know him, you would realize that being one of the younger ones would not have stopped him from excelling.
I am going to be using excerpts from his wife, son and siblings to let you get a closer glimpse of who the person Stephen Andre Gittens really was… and even though I am sure many of us would like to share, I know that many of us would be able to identify in the areas that are being presented this morning just to remind us what a colossal person he was in every sense of the word.
Stephen was a school teacher, a pastor, marriage officer, a counselor, the point man for the BEA Executive – especially when the president was unavailable, he was the person you would see fulfilling the mandate for the president. He was an all-round person.
As I said earlier, it would be easy for us to understand him and his various attributes by drawing on the people who know him best – and that is what we hope to do this morning. I am going to use his brothers first. His brother Arnott states that he was very proud to call Stephen ‘brother’, because Stephen never failed to give support and generosity in the interest of anything that would be beneficial to his family. He was a very dedicated father, and this was clearly seen during the period of time when his son Ramon had to be hospitalized for an extended period. It was during this time, that we saw Stephen as father, exemplify the extraordinary caring spirit should which was very much part of who he was. The passion that he had and showed to his young students greatly enhanced the success that they achieved. And even though he was like that, Arnott said that they had some long conversations about world affairs and sports – cricket and politics, in particular – and they were very enthralling. So happy and so proud of his brother, he has now bestowed upon him the title ‘Sir Stephen’.
On the numerous occasions they spoke via WhatsApp, Stephen always respected his brother by referring to him as ‘Sir’. Arnott wondered, but never asked why. He thinks it was perhaps indicative of the respect Stephen held for him although he was only five years his senior.
In the quiet moments of this hour, Arnott joins with the others, thanking God for the life of service that Stephen would have shared with his fellowmen.
We all agree with the sentiments, but then there is another brother, Emerald, with whom Stephen had a loving relationship because they shared many, many happy moments. In fact, Emerald brought out a side of Stephen that nobody knew, because, if there was a stone-throwing event at the Olympics, Stephen could have won it. Emerald reminisced about Stephen’s mischievous nature. I have seen a picture of a young Stephen, and yes – he did have a mischievous face. Emerald said that one night they were standing outside the door of their home, and Stephen started to throw some stones on his neighbour’s galvanized roof, and by the time the neighbour looked out, everybody disappeared – door closed, and a fit of laughter followed. Stephen was a comic when he was ready, but he could be depended upon to assist him, Emerald said, in any area he wanted. He loved the Lord from a very early age and he dedicated his life to His service.
We go to another one that highlighted his buoyancy as a person – his other brother William. William called Stephen his baby brother in every sense of the word and stated that he was very passionate about the call of God on his life. And because of William’s job in media production, William saw him through lenses that only he could have seen.
Through his lens, he often framed and captured Stephen as a scholar of the word, and as very judicious on issues such as sports, global affairs, social events and politics. William says that they conversed often on these matters and that in this regard he will never forget Stephen.
Their bonding was grounded in the philosophy of their late parents who taught them to love people along with knowledge of and interpretation of the scriptures.
I now go to his sister Cheryl. Cheryl says that Stephen had always been a strong support for her. Since she and Stephen were one year apart, she would jokingly tell her mother that she and Stephen should have been a twin. She has very fond memories of them cutting and sharing their birthday cake every year.
Stephen was the life of the party whenever the family got together. She will certainly miss him when the group meets in the future for such gatherings.
Cheryl could depend on Stephen for assistance in any area. He was outstanding in the counsel she received from him. She loved Stephen dearly. Even though she misses him, she knows that he is with mum and Dad in heaven looking down on the family.
Ramon: “He was my father, my mentor, my teacher, my compass and most importantly, my first and very best friend”.
Laura:
“Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning”.
I do not know how many nights of weeping I have left but I live with anticipation for the joy that is promised when that morning comes.
I have lost a true friend, and I know that there will not be another like him. He was my rock and I was his bird.
He was a loving father that treasured his son, Ramon every day. He considered Ramon his miracle from God.
His loved his students and friends with a depth and compassion that compelled him to give and sacrifice of his time and other resources, without ever complaining.
Stephen knew he was never meant to be rich with material wealth but that his investment in the body of Christ would pay dividends way beyond his time here on earth. He valued his relationship with the Father above everything and everyone. He was sold out for Christ with no apology or regret. He always displayed the strength of his conviction in his God whom he knew, loved and served.
In his final moments, as Ramon and I knelt beside him, Ramon was visibly shaken. His final words were to reassure Ramon that that all that was happening was not his fault and not to worry. And, in the twinkling of an eye, my husband, the father of my son, was gone. There was no time to even say goodbye. All we shared was a last look into each other’s eyes.
Stephen was my blessing from God. And I thank Him for the time He lent him to me. I look forward to meeting with him again someday.
I continue to draw courage from my husband’s example so that when God calls me, like my husband, and the apostle Paul, I might be able to boldly declare, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” [2 Timothy 4: 7].
Just a few things quickly… I believe that for some of us, myself included, maybe Stephen’s passing was not a total shock. I can speak for myself because a couple weeks ago, I happened to be at Stephen’s home, and before I departed, he said these words: “Patrick, don’t know how many more the Master will give me – maybe two, maybe five, maybe ten – it does not matter, but I endeavor to make sure that everything is in place. When I walked away, I said to myself, “Is Stephen getting ready to leave us?” I never shared it with anyone, but that was my feeling – that was my thought as I walked away.
On Saturday January 8, 2022 I visited Dr. Taylor, and before leaving Dr. Taylor I said to him, “We are going to see Rev. Gittens.” He said, “You’re going to see him? Well take this hand of green bananas for him.” My wife and I set out. While we were heading to Stephen’s home, I asked my wife to call his number to make sure he was in. The phone rang and rang and rang – no reply. I thought that maybe we should not go because he was out, but we persisted, and found his vehicle there.
I knocked on the door, and Ramon came to the door and said, “Uncle Patrick, hold on.” I waited for a while for Stephen to arrive at the door, and at one time I thought that maybe I would just leave – ask Ramon to tell his dad we were here and I would call him. For some reason, however, I could not leave. When Stephen came to the door, he said, “Boy, you should consider yourself lucky because I have not been coming to the door to address anyone.” He closed the door behind him and we proceeded to my vehicle. We talked and laughed and he made some comments.
Then, on Sunday morning before I got out of my bed, Dr. Taylor called and said that Stephen and passed. I said to him, “Shocked, but not shocked.” There were things he said along the way that signaled that he maybe had a premonition about his leaving.
This eulogy would be incomplete without mentioning two sayings of Stephen:
“Hold strong!”
“Hold this close to ya chest”.
Finally, I want to say thanks to his wife Laura, son Ramon, and his brothers and sisters, and his family for the honor and opportunity of presenting this eulogy.
Eulogy of Reverend Stephen A. Gittens
Church of the Nazarene
Collymore Rock
St. Michael
Tuesday January 25, 2022
I want to say good morning to all of you who are gathered here to pay final respect to one that we call a giant of a man - the Reverend Stephen A. Gittens. To prepare and document a eulogy may not be the easiest thing for anyone to do at this moment because Stephen would have traversed in the short space of time that God has granted him life, the width and breadth of Barbados, impacting every facet of life in Barbados – social, religious, educational, sporting and maybe, other areas we may not be aware of. I am sure that there are many other areas that overlap. So today, I am going to do things a little different in presenting this multi-dimensional person that we will lay to rest a little later.
Stephen was born on April 25th 1962 to loving parents Ira and Charles Gittens, and he was one of nine siblings. But if you had to know him, you would realize that being one of the younger ones would not have stopped him from excelling.
I am going to be using excerpts from his wife, son and siblings to let you get a closer glimpse of who the person Stephen Andre Gittens really was… and even though I am sure many of us would like to share, I know that many of us would be able to identify in the areas that are being presented this morning just to remind us what a colossal person he was in every sense of the word.
Stephen was a school teacher, a pastor, marriage officer, a counselor, the point man for the BEA Executive – especially when the president was unavailable, he was the person you would see fulfilling the mandate for the president. He was an all-round person.
As I said earlier, it would be easy for us to understand him and his various attributes by drawing on the people who know him best – and that is what we hope to do this morning. I am going to use his brothers first. His brother Arnott states that he was very proud to call Stephen ‘brother’, because Stephen never failed to give support and generosity in the interest of anything that would be beneficial to his family. He was a very dedicated father, and this was clearly seen during the period of time when his son Ramon had to be hospitalized for an extended period. It was during this time, that we saw Stephen as father, exemplify the extraordinary caring spirit should which was very much part of who he was. The passion that he had and showed to his young students greatly enhanced the success that they achieved. And even though he was like that, Arnott said that they had some long conversations about world affairs and sports – cricket and politics, in particular – and they were very enthralling. So happy and so proud of his brother, he has now bestowed upon him the title ‘Sir Stephen’.
On the numerous occasions they spoke via WhatsApp, Stephen always respected his brother by referring to him as ‘Sir’. Arnott wondered, but never asked why. He thinks it was perhaps indicative of the respect Stephen held for him although he was only five years his senior.
In the quiet moments of this hour, Arnott joins with the others, thanking God for the life of service that Stephen would have shared with his fellowmen.
We all agree with the sentiments, but then there is another brother, Emerald, with whom Stephen had a loving relationship because they shared many, many happy moments. In fact, Emerald brought out a side of Stephen that nobody knew, because, if there was a stone-throwing event at the Olympics, Stephen could have won it. Emerald reminisced about Stephen’s mischievous nature. I have seen a picture of a young Stephen, and yes – he did have a mischievous face. Emerald said that one night they were standing outside the door of their home, and Stephen started to throw some stones on his neighbour’s galvanized roof, and by the time the neighbour looked out, everybody disappeared – door closed, and a fit of laughter followed. Stephen was a comic when he was ready, but he could be depended upon to assist him, Emerald said, in any area he wanted. He loved the Lord from a very early age and he dedicated his life to His service.
We go to another one that highlighted his buoyancy as a person – his other brother William. William called Stephen his baby brother in every sense of the word and stated that he was very passionate about the call of God on his life. And because of William’s job in media production, William saw him through lenses that only he could have seen.
Through his lens, he often framed and captured Stephen as a scholar of the word, and as very judicious on issues such as sports, global affairs, social events and politics. William says that they conversed often on these matters and that in this regard he will never forget Stephen.
Their bonding was grounded in the philosophy of their late parents who taught them to love people along with knowledge of and interpretation of the scriptures.
I now go to his sister Cheryl. Cheryl says that Stephen had always been a strong support for her. Since she and Stephen were one year apart, she would jokingly tell her mother that she and Stephen should have been a twin. She has very fond memories of them cutting and sharing their birthday cake every year.
Stephen was the life of the party whenever the family got together. She will certainly miss him when the group meets in the future for such gatherings.
Cheryl could depend on Stephen for assistance in any area. He was outstanding in the counsel she received from him. She loved Stephen dearly. Even though she misses him, she knows that he is with mum and Dad in heaven looking down on the family.
Ramon: “He was my father, my mentor, my teacher, my compass and most importantly, my first and very best friend”.
Laura:
“Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning”.
I do not know how many nights of weeping I have left but I live with anticipation for the joy that is promised when that morning comes.
I have lost a true friend, and I know that there will not be another like him. He was my rock and I was his bird.
He was a loving father that treasured his son, Ramon every day. He considered Ramon his miracle from God.
His loved his students and friends with a depth and compassion that compelled him to give and sacrifice of his time and other resources, without ever complaining.
Stephen knew he was never meant to be rich with material wealth but that his investment in the body of Christ would pay dividends way beyond his time here on earth. He valued his relationship with the Father above everything and everyone. He was sold out for Christ with no apology or regret. He always displayed the strength of his conviction in his God whom he knew, loved and served.
In his final moments, as Ramon and I knelt beside him, Ramon was visibly shaken. His final words were to reassure Ramon that that all that was happening was not his fault and not to worry. And, in the twinkling of an eye, my husband, the father of my son, was gone. There was no time to even say goodbye. All we shared was a last look into each other’s eyes.
Stephen was my blessing from God. And I thank Him for the time He lent him to me. I look forward to meeting with him again someday.
I continue to draw courage from my husband’s example so that when God calls me, like my husband, and the apostle Paul, I might be able to boldly declare, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” [2 Timothy 4: 7].
Just a few things quickly… I believe that for some of us, myself included, maybe Stephen’s passing was not a total shock. I can speak for myself because a couple weeks ago, I happened to be at Stephen’s home, and before I departed, he said these words: “Patrick, don’t know how many more the Master will give me – maybe two, maybe five, maybe ten – it does not matter, but I endeavor to make sure that everything is in place. When I walked away, I said to myself, “Is Stephen getting ready to leave us?” I never shared it with anyone, but that was my feeling – that was my thought as I walked away.
On Saturday January 8, 2022 I visited Dr. Taylor, and before leaving Dr. Taylor I said to him, “We are going to see Rev. Gittens.” He said, “You’re going to see him? Well take this hand of green bananas for him.” My wife and I set out. While we were heading to Stephen’s home, I asked my wife to call his number to make sure he was in. The phone rang and rang and rang – no reply. I thought that maybe we should not go because he was out, but we persisted, and found his vehicle there.
I knocked on the door, and Ramon came to the door and said, “Uncle Patrick, hold on.” I waited for a while for Stephen to arrive at the door, and at one time I thought that maybe I would just leave – ask Ramon to tell his dad we were here and I would call him. For some reason, however, I could not leave. When Stephen came to the door, he said, “Boy, you should consider yourself lucky because I have not been coming to the door to address anyone.” He closed the door behind him and we proceeded to my vehicle. We talked and laughed and he made some comments.
Then, on Sunday morning before I got out of my bed, Dr. Taylor called and said that Stephen and passed. I said to him, “Shocked, but not shocked.” There were things he said along the way that signaled that he maybe had a premonition about his leaving.
This eulogy would be incomplete without mentioning two sayings of Stephen:
“Hold strong!”
“Hold this close to ya chest”.
Finally, I want to say thanks to his wife Laura, son Ramon, and his brothers and sisters, and his family for the honor and opportunity of presenting this eulogy.
