John Adderley, 82, of Nassau, New Providence, passed Thursday, May 31, 2018. John was born August 20, 1935, in Nassau, New Providence.

John is survived by 6 children: Jamaine Adderley (Kenya Arrington), Stacie Adderley, Trevor Adderley (Rama Adderley), Jasmine Adderley, Jeremiah Adderley, and John William Adderley Jr. 

Duty, decency, reliability, honor, dignity, respect: these are all qualities that my father not only held in high esteem but practiced every day during his time on this earth. 

He was a serious and disciplined man, but he could never resist the opportunity to have a laugh with friends and loved ones, given half the chance. 

As a father of six though, he was often happiest when left to his own devices—whether f home and started families of our own, I began to understand my father in a new way. 

Dad gave sage advice on everything from teaching my kids manners and responsibility, to the other important area of family life: keeping one’s partner happy and the marriage healthy and alive.

Dad was a straightforward man who demanded little from those around him, and who expected only the best for his eight children. 

Provided he heard regularly from us all—and saw us whenever possible—he was content. 

And although in his final years, we’d all moved on to different parts of the world, that bond was never broken.

To me, Dad’s finest quality was his patience: an inherent ability to listen, to absorb and to offer a point of view based on quiet, measured wisdom. 

I’ll never forget the time when I asked him what I should do about having to move overseas for my career: “Do what you feel, what you believe is right. Follow your gut, your heart, and you can’t go wrong.”

It’s difficult to imagine him not being around and I’m not sure how we will all cope. 

The grandchildren, Trevor, Sheavonna, Justice, Faith, E'nijah, Elijah, Z'niah, Jada, Zori, Tyrell, Takai and Allison, and great-grandchildren, Takai, Skyla, Jaylen, Eliza, Zakai, and Zachariah will miss him dearly. 

It’s strange to think that I can’t just give him a call or pop around to have one of our good old yarns. 

Dad lived a long and happy life and only succumbed to ill health right at the very end. 

He was an imposing figure of a man, a tall, dark, handsome character whose reassuring presence we all felt during difficult times.

As we gather here today to remember and commemorate his life, let bid him farewell as we mourn the loss of a lively, dignified soul. 

A soul that brought joy and fulfillment to many, and whose legacy will live on forever.