Thanksgiving service for Skill Cole on Saturday at Arena

The thanksgiving celebration for the life of football legend Allan Aloysius ‘Skill’ Cole will be held at the National Arena in Kingston on Saturday, October 11, three days before what would have been his 75th birthday.

Funeral directors Perry’s Funeral Home, led by CEO Peter Perry, will begin the day at 8 a.m. as the procession leaves the home for several stops before reaching the Arena. The first stop is Caymanas Park in St Catherine, followed by a five-minute pause at the Twelve Tribes of Israel HQ on Hope Road, where Cole’s brethren will gather to pay their respects. The next stop will be House of Dread on Deanery Road and then Santos Football Club for the final stop before the Arena, where the body will be viewed from 9 a.m.. A musical tribute starts at 10 a.m. and will features singers such as Stephen Marley, Duane Stephenson, Luciano, Tarrus Riley, and veteran Denzil ‘Dipstick’ Williams, from the harmony trio Wadadah. The thanksgiving service is scheduled for two hours, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The interment will be at Shooter’s Hill.

Prior to Saturday’s final curtain, a tribute event was held last night at House of Dread, with another scheduled for this evening (October 10) from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Twelve Tribes of Israel headquarters. A member of the organisation from the 1970s until his passing, Cole played a key role in introducing reggae icon Bob Marley to the Twelve Tribes community. He travelled the world with Marley, and legend has it that when Marley went jogging in New York’s Central Park on September 21, 1980, and collapsed, it was Cole who caught him as he fell.

Cole lived in Africa for seven years where he coached and played football. This week, some of the elders of the Jamaican Rastafarian Development Community in Shashemane, Ethiopia, paid tribute to him.

“Allan ‘Dan, Skill, Maestro’ Cole came to Ethiopia after I came in 1976 and he spent some time with us, and it was great having him,” Bro Reuben shared. “He helped us in a lot of ways. When we had our ups and downs, he showed fortitude and endured the hardships that we went through, I don’t think you will ever see another footballer with that skill coming out of Jamaica. Maestro came and he displayed his football skills and rose to the top.”

Bro Reuben shared that Cole played for several clubs in Ethiopia, including Ethiopian Airlines and the army team. He also coached the Southern Province team, which went on to reach the finals under his leadership.

“He was a great soul ... now that he has gone into transition, everything is not lost. Because if we think that it is only in this life that we have hope then we will be like men most miserable. In the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ... the spirit of Maestro is in the bosom of the Most High ... we will met and celebrate with the great prophets of old. So give thanks,” were the closing words of Bro Reuben.

Elders, Bro P. Benjamin and Bro Levi, also hailed Cole in the video tribute from Ethiopia.

Among those travelling from overseas to represent various entities at the funeral are Gerald Dawes, who is a member of several organisations, including the Caribbean American Society of New York (CASONY), Right Time Is Now (RTIN), and the Tabby and Bunny Diamonds Tribute project. Dawes is also a member of The Ramping Shop Family and he was in Jamaica recently, representing on the stage when that organisation presented an award to Cole at Dancehall Thursday, 10 days before he died.

Luther ‘Cherry Rock’ Ellis, chaplain and singer for the Twelve Tribes (New York), will also be in attendance. Brother Cherry, as he is affectionately called, shared that his name was given to him by Skill Cole. “Cherry” was the pet name of Cole’s father and was also one of the names by which close friends referred to Cole himself.

Cole passed away on September 9 at the University Hospital of the West Indies. He was 74. He is survived by widow, Sharon, and six children.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com