NEW YORK, USA — A former correctional officer, who quietly used his influence to steer scores of Jamaicans and others towards securing a good education as a pathway to upward mobility, was recently remembered for his unselfishness, devotion to family and church, and for nurturing others.

At a packed funeral service inside United Apostolic Church in St Albans, Queens, speaker after speaker lauded Beresford McCartney Johnston as one who cared less about his own welfare and more about those around him.

The Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth native had a lifelong love for education and believed he should push those around him, especially his fellow Jamaicans, to get a sound education, said his son Dr Fabian Johnston.

“Education meant a lot to him,” Dr Johnston said, “so much so that if I or any of my siblings got a 98 per cent pass mark while attending school, my father would famously ask: ‘What happen to the other two per cent?’ “

Scores of Jamaicans who heeded his advice and took advantage of his support are today better off for it.

Johnston died on November 15, 2021 at age 70 from natural causes. He had been a long-time member of The Friends of Santa Cruz, a non-profit body which raised millions of dollars over many years for education and other causes, often using his own house to assist the organisation with its fund-raising efforts.

Leon Sanderson, himself a former correctional officer and long-time friend of Johnston, described the former employee of book publishing giant Barnes & Noble as “the consummate man, who listened and showed respect and compassion for all whom he came in contact with”.

Sanderson also spoke of how his friend, who also once worked at the Environmental Protection Agency, would remain calm even when a storm was erupting around him, and would use quiet diplomacy to defuse difficult situations.

Delivering the eulogy, the Rev Donhue Milton described Johnson as “one who was steadfast in his beliefs and had left a legacy we can all be proud of”, reminding the congregation that each person had a limited time on earth and should use it wisely.

Johnston,who worked at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town before migrating to the US, was interred in Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum on Long Island.