Family, friends and members of the sporting community got the full measure of the man they called “Spoon”.
They came from all walks of life to pay tributes to Ian “Spoon” Arthur as members of the Combermere family, basketball community and the rifle shooting fraternity turned out in their hundreds to show their final respects to a man who had a hand in even more aspects of Barbadian society.
Member of Parliament for The City, Jeffrey Bostic, president of the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association Derrick Garrett, and local bodybuilding chief Dr Andrew Forde were among those who attended the funeral service conducted by reverend Adrian Smith at Calvary Moravian Church on Roebuck Street.
Described as an extremely meticulous professional who took great pride in his exemplary deportment, the well respected architectural technologist, who was 49, was continuously portrayed as a loving family man who was steadfast in everything he undertook.
“He was not afraid of being different or the exception,” said colleague Ian Best while delivering one of the five spoken tributes during the service.
“He always stood by his convictions. He enjoyed life fully, spent time laughing and enjoying the company of those who made the most of him . . . his wife, children, close friends when all the while never compromising who he was.”
The father of three also madea mark in the Barbados Rifle and Pistol Federation, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become a master less than ten years into the sport.
But it was in the basketball community where he will be best remembered following more than three decades serving as a player and then an on-court official.
“He was a very humble and dedicated servant to basketball,” said Garrett.
“He was tenacious as a player and as an official, he was very professional, always ready and willing to explain and defend his calls.
“He will be missed by his friends, especially the crew he played basketball with on Sunday mornings at The St Michael School,” he added.
In his sermon, Smith urged Arthur’s family to trust in God in times like these when things seem unbearable, citing the story of Joab who lost everything but still stood fast in his faith in the Lord.
Both Nicole Jemmott and the Calvary Choir gave fitting tributes in song while the Calvary Steel Orchestra performed a piece titled Flying Free.
The interment took place at the Westbury Cemetery.
