Ken Boyea remembered as man of excellence and vision

Friends, Government officials, offsprings and colleagues were all on hand as glowing tributes were paid to Arnold Ormiston Ken Boyea at his funeral on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

The body of the late entrepreneur, businessman and politician lay in State in the temporary Parliament at Glen for viewing on Wednesday morning, before it was transported to the Cathedral of the Assumption Kingstown for further viewing and the funeral service.

The pallbearers leave the Cathedral with the casket

In the tribute by Kirsten Coombs one of Boyea’s closest, longest and dearest friends, and read by Dean Coombs who represented the Coombs family, Kirsten said: “Ormiston Ken Boyea was a lifelong friend and colleague of mine for over 75 years. It amazes me that it seems not that long ago as boys, we were sharing memorable times roller skating in Mount Young, to playing lawn tennis, and cricket”.

He said they both attended the St Vincent Boys Grammar School and became the best of friends.

“Ken and I played cricket together for SVGBS, and for those of you who don’t know, was quite an accomplished cricketer and his talent as a top-order batsman took him to later represent the national team many times. His passion for cricket, however, did not diminish his focus on academics as he completed his A-levels and went on to graduate with a degree in Electrical Engineering in London, England. I also studied engineering in England, and so when we met there our friendship continued, and we bonded over our shared interests.” One of those was a special fondness for jazz.

Speaking on behalf of staff and management at the Eastern Caribbean Group of Companies, where Boyea served for several years as CEO, was Robert Cato, the current CEO.

Stanley ‘Stalky’ John, political colleague and friend delivered Boyea’s Eulogy

“Ken’s vision and guidance were the cornerstones of ECGC’s success, transforming it from start-up into the thriving company it still is today. You’ll hear about Ken being an expansive thinker and our growth at ECGC has been driven by a fearless mindset of expansion. Some of the lessons I got from Ken Boyea, …every leader in this audience will tell you- the top has its rewards. However, it is often cold and lonely up there, and for a leader like Ken who was dynamic, gregarious, deeply intelligent, I can promise you he would have experienced that. So let us share the good stories, reminisce about his impact on us.”

Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, paying tribute, said Boyea was not just a blood relative but a dear friend.

Dr Ralph Gonsalves delivering a tribute

“He was my first cousin, not just my dear friend by blood, and I loved him. I am going to talk about family. Family means a great deal to me, and it should for everybody … of course, family brings abundant joys,” he noted.

“By the time I entered the Grammar School in 1959, it was acknowledged in our family that Ken was destined to succeed in life and living. He was going places. He had abundant gifts, aptitudes, and blessings,” Gonsalves said.

“He was miles ahead of others, even those who had better scholastic performances than him at the Grammar School. He was an all-around man, fit for life and living and production. It was only a matter of time that his immense, many-sided promise would be fulfilled. It was in the stars. And when God has stood up for you, you are blessed.”

He noted that Boyea was 14 years old at the granting of Universal Adult suffrage- one person, one vote- in 1951.

“In 1969 he was 32 years old when St. Vincent and the Grenadines was restored to internal self-government. And he was 42 years old when St. Vincent and the Grenadines reclaimed its independence in 1979, and he died at 87, 88 years in our country’s 45th year of its reclamation of independence. He lived through times of monumental changes, changes for the better. He made his immense contribution in multifaceted ways in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the region. He was a quintessential Caribbean man,” Gonsalves stated. Boyea’s colleague who was alongside him in the formation of the People’s Progressive Movement (PPM), Stanley “Stalky” John, delivered the eulogy. He too lauded Boyea’s foresight, intelligence, business acumen, and humanity.

“Salesmanship was instinctive to him and it characterized his way of life. He was gifted with a distinctly charismatic personality which he shared generously and consistently as we have heard. For most of his life Ken’s occupational pursuits, especially his engagement for over two decades in the role of CEO at the Eastern Caribbean Group of Companies, enabled him to build synergies with individuals and institutions…”, John said to a full church.

He noted that Boyea’s positioning and disposition enabled him to function at all levels of the socio-economic architecture.

“…he forged and maintained close associations and personal friendships with all and sundry and whatever may have been the context that caused his life to come together into proximity with those folks with whom he forged his relationship. Most people who had an association with him considered that Ken, or Mr. Boyea as he was respectfully called by many, was their personal friend.”

Some of Boyea’s children also spoke that day of their late father as a man of excellence, an icon,a visionary, a man of discipline, and a loving dad. Boyea, who died on January 1, 2025 was laid to rest at the Kingstown Cemetery.