Farewell John Jarvis: A Giant of a Man

On Tuesday, the Moravian Church in Spring Gardens was filled with heartfelt speeches, music, and tributes as Antigua and Barbuda said goodbye to John Jarvis, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission.

The farewell ceremony was a magnificent send-off to honor Jarvis’ exceptional contributions and devoted service to the electoral commission and the nation as a whole.

The official funeral service was attended by several distinguished personalities, including Governor General Sir Rodney Williams, Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Leader of the Opposition Jamal Prince, Former Prime Minister Baldwin Spence, and a host of other members of parliament.

The event was a fitting tribute to a man whose legacy will be remembered for years to come.

“I remember when we played marbles…We played two marble games. One was kept, but the favorite was the angle. It was with the angle you would see John with fanfare, and he would draw the triangle and place the marble meticulously at the base of the triangle the accuracy at which he would draw these lines was tangible evidence of a man who saw issues from various sides,” he said

“Lovell said he also remembers playing cricket with John as a boy. But before we had our cricketing heroes, we would style ourselves from the existing West Indies cricket team at that time. So, you would see us with our color turned up,” he said

Meanwhile, Government Senator Shenella Govia said the late Jarvis shared and left great memories with many.

She said his work called for him to be in the limelight, but he never liked it.

“He was a man dedicated to service and possessed a passion for finding solutions to every issue…”

John according to her, played a pivotal role in Carnival. “Today, managing and executing carnival costs millions of dollars.

“When John was coordinator, he had to manage the carnival budget of creatively just five hundred thousand dollars to run the entire festival…He never failed. He was truly a dedicated son of culture and or festival. All of us can attest while he was short in stature, he was a giant of a man,” she said

Jarvis began his career as a social worker at the Ministry of Education after completing his studies at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Jamaica in 1974.

He later became involved in the Caribbean Assembly, a regional black power movement in Trinidad and Tobago, where he became vocal about the issues affecting the region and Antigua and Barbuda.

Throughout his career, Jarvis held several important positions, including Chairman of Carnival in 1989, a member of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Antigua, and Secretary of the Caricom Regulators.

He was also appointed as a Caricom Electoral Observer, where he performed his duties as part of the Caricom scrutineering team.

In 2015, Jarvis was appointed as a member of the ABEC and later became the Electoral Commissioner before finally assuming the post of Chairman.

He was a great mentor to those who worked with him, from ABEC members to the Caricom Secretariat.

His colleagues and electoral supervisors from across the region who served with him shared their sorrow about his passing while retelling stories of their experiences with him.

Jarvis was known for his dedication to service to others and was a member of the Antigua Barbuda Red Cross.

He reminded his colleagues that he would not be here forever and wished for them to carry on the mantle, benefiting immensely from his wealth of knowledge.

His contributions to the political and social landscape of Antigua and Barbuda will be remembered for years to come.