jamarchNEW YORK (JIS) – A service of thanksgiving for the life of the late Keith L. Carr, Sr., OM, will be held on Monday, January 14, 2008 at the Bethel AME Church, 1154 Blue Hills Avenue in Bloomfield, Connecticut, starting at 12 noon.
Carr, Sr., died on Monday morning, January 7, in Hartford, Connecticut after a short illness. He was 77 years old.
A fixture in the Greater Hartford, Connecticut area since 1963, Carr Sr., was last year – May 2007 – recognized for his many decades of faithful service to the West Indian American Community particularly along the Northeastern USA corridor.
Moving from Jamaica, West Indies, he joined the West Indian Social Club (WISC) of Hartford in 1963 and served the venerable organization in many capacities including President, Secretary, Publicity & Public Relations Chair, Assistant Operations Manager as well as the Planning and Development Committees.
President of the WISC, Doreen Forrest, said Carr was a stalwart of the West Indian community.
“The full membership of the WISC notes with profound sadness the news of the passing and loss of one of the stalwarts of the West Indian community, Mr. Keith Carr, Sr. Please keep his family in your prayers at this time,” the statement said.
Andrew Lawrence, a member of the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board and President of the Caribbean Trade Council of Hartford said that though the “gatekeeper is gone, his vision and legacy will live on”.
“We have lost a teacher, a great man, a man who believed in community harmony and cultural expression. Mr. Carr’s professionalism, strong community involvement, knowledge, vision, respect and kindness will never be forgotten as through his many decades of work, he touched the lives of everyone, directly and indirectly,” noted Lawrence, himself a former president of the WISC of Hartford.
Mr. Carr is also a former Executive Director of the West Indian Foundation (WIF) during which time he collaborated with such noted Jamaican entities as; The National Dance Theatre Company, The Jamaica Constabulary Force Band, Hatfield Folk & Cultural Group and the University Singers.
Keith Carr, Sr., was recognized by the Government and people of Jamaica in 1977 with the Order of Merit. In 1990, he was made a lifetime member of the WISC of Hartford and that same year, the Mayor of the City of Hartford proclaimed May 17 as Keith L. Carr, Sr., Day.
Keith L. Carr, Sr., OM, is survived by wife Delores, daughter Lynda and sons Keith, Jr., and Kurt.
Viewing and wake will be held on Sunday, January 13, 2008, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm, at the Henry Fuqua Funeral Home, 94 Granby Street, Bloomfield, CT. T: 860-769-6841.
Media Writer
