Pomp, celebration mark Celestine’s funeral

SECOND Lieutenant Colin Celestine was buried yesterday with full military rites after a two - hour funeral service at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Church, Maraval. After a further two hours of celebration at the cemetery, he was laid to rest at the Military Cemetery, Long Circular Road, St. James at around 6. pm. In addition to the military pomp, including the 21-gun salute, the funeral was spiced with song and music when friends and relatives got together at the cemetery in an impromptu musical celebration singing the songs he loved, to the strumming of a guitar and base drums. Celestine 23, fondly called “Ghost” because of his small figure, died instantly on Monday when the car he was driving crashed head-on with a bus on the Priority Bus Route (PBR),100 yards from the Cane Farm Junction, Tacarigua. Celestine was on his way to work at Camp Mausica.

While much of the grief surrounded his untimely passing, some also concerned an article by a Central Trinidad tabloid and callers to a radio station that alleged he committed suicide over a missing Israeli-made Galil army rifle. In the eulogy read by his immediate commanding officer of the First Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ken Maharaj  he was described as “an exemplar, honest, committed and dedicated to the service, who would have reached far.” The Lt Col who is also in charge of the investigation of the missing rifle which has since been recovered told Newsday, not only was Celestine not involved or interrogated, he was never a suspect. “He was nowhere close to where the incident happened.

Where the media got that idea we do not know.” Two relatives who spoke on his behalf said he was always being positive, happy and making those around him happy. They spoke about his honesty and his instilling values to anyone around him, while still enjoying life. In his homily, Fr Kevin DeLoughry,  gave support to all the positive comments about Celestine. He spoke about Celestine’s lust for life, dedication to the church and his values. “For months the government and the diocese have been prescribing methods to deal with crime, but if there is one value they can use, it is the life of Celestine.