A close relative of the two Bermudians who were on the air ambulance that disappeared last weekend, spoke poignantly of what they mean to his family
Gavin Smith, nephew of LaVonne Bean and cousin to Sergio Lottimore, gave an emotional address to the crowd at White Hill Field on Saturday.
Hundreds had gathered for a prayer vigil in support of the family of the two Bermudians who were lost, along with four Canadian crew members, when an air ambulance disappeared on Saturday, October 3rd.
At the end of an evening of prayers and music, organized by the West End Ministerial Alliance, Mr Smith stepped onto the stage. He said that he hadn’t planned to speak, and thanked those in attendance.
“This has been hard”, he said. “It was shocking and amazing to see how the world was behind us, and I just want to say thank you for keeping Aunt LaVonne and Sergio in your hearts, and for coming out tonight.
“For those who didn’t know Aunt LaVonne, she really was the heart of our family… She looked out for the eldest and the youngest, and she was a real link, intergenerationally, that will be missed and lost.”
Mr Smith spoke of his Aunt’s faith, saying that she had found the Lord “for real”, and that her communication with him “would always be leading with Jesus Christ, who she knew personally.”
Speaking of his cousin, Mr Smith said “Sergio was an incredible young man. He was younger than me, but he was a hero to me… taking care of his family in every way that he could.”
He spoke of Mr Lottimore’s strength of spirit, and that at first the family thought “Sergio can make it through this.”
As the days went on, however, Mr Smith said “it just become this horrible reality…
“I didn’t want my cousin out there in the water, fighting to come back to us when he served his purpose.”
Mr Smith said that Sergio “was here for a short time but he impacted so many lives.”
Mr Smith once again thanked the attendees on behalf of the family, and added, “hug someone you love, because you never know… it might be the last time.”
Bermudian mother and son Marilyn Lavonne Bean and Sergio Wayne Lottimore were on a Latitude Air Ambulance flight from Bermuda to Boston, which left the island around 12:40am on Saturday October 3rd.
The aircraft reported electrical difficulties sometime after 1am, after which it descended rapidly, and contact with air traffic control was lost south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.
Canadian Pilots Captain Philip Gregory Childerhose and First Officer Thomas Henry Farquhar were also lost in the tragedy, as were flight nurse Sarah Jane Paton, and respiratory therapist Jolene Beth Weir.
The U.S. Coast Guard found debris in the ocean south of Nantucket, but suspended the search on Sunday night.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has deployed a team to lead the investigation into the incident, with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
