ON Sunday when Norman Delhall left his home in McIntyre Villa, Kingston, with his daughter to attend the funeral of star footballer Jordan Foote, his plan was to only attend the church service and quickly return home to resume his tailoring commitments. But that was not to be.

The 54-year-old tailor and his 18-year-old daughter, Shavell — a former member of the Jamaica Under-19 football squad — met their demise after the motorcycle on which they were travelling reportedly crashed into a cement mixer motor truck.

The unfortunate incident occurred about 5:20 pm on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston, while Norman was returning home on his motorcycle with his daughter from the Dovecot Memorial Gardens in St Catherine, where Foote was laid to rest.

Yesterday, when the

Jamaica Observer visited the Delhalls’ home, his sister, Viviene, who was overcome with grief, said she could not get over the fact that her brother had told her that he was not going to the burial ground.

“All mi a hear inna me head is him saying that him just a go a the church, him not going to Dovecot and all now him nuh come back,” she said before breaking down into tears.

According to Viviene, her brother changed his mind about returning home after the church service because of his daughter.

“If Shavell never say she ago over there him would a never go,” she said. “Me nuh know how mi a go overcome this,” she added. “Me cyaan believe this, this come in like a show.”

Andre Harvey, the son-in-law of the deceased — who had delivered the sad news to the family — said Delhall did not wake up with the intention of going to the funeral as he had gotten up late and had even sent his daughter to the shop to purchase food that he was going to cook for dinner.

“He wasn’t even dress fi go Dovecot cause [it was] merino him did have on,” he added.

According to Harvey, he last saw Delhall and his daughter while he was at Dovecot, but he did not get a chance to speak with them because he was on his way to look at his nephew’s grave when they called out to him.

“When me reach back inna de community a lady tell me say dem jus crash,” Harvey said.

Members of the community as well as relatives of the deceased have taken the news of the death of the two very hard, said one family member.

“Everybody feel it say him dead cause dem a say where dem ago get another tailor cause he was like the best,” she said of Norman Delhall.

Added Harvey: “Everybody [has been shaken], even the baby, cause he looked out fi everybody.”

And according to Vivienne, even when people went to the tailor and did not have enough money “him still make them clothes and give them”.

She added that her brother was a very jovial and friendly person and was also a very good father to his two daughters. She said, too, that Shavell was also very jovial and loved to play football.

Delhall’s other daughter, Shanell, 20, was too shaken to speak as she had been crying non-stop since learning of her father’s death.

Delhall is survived by his daughter, his common-law wife who is overseas, three brothers and his sister.