The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

FAMILY and friends of the late Franhkan Cooper gathered at Bahamas Faith Ministries on Saturday to say farewell to a man described as a positive, professional gentleman.

The Carmichael Road church was filled to capacity as people came to pay their respects to the anaesthetic assistant at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), who was co-piloting the November 9 ill-fated flight with pilot, Captain Stanley Thurston.

Seven others were on board: senior pastor and BFM founder Dr Myles Munroe, 60, and his wife, Ruth, BFM vice-president Dr Richard Pinder, newly ordained youth pastors Lavard “Manifest” Parks, his wife, Radel, their son Johanan, 5, and Diego DeSantiago, a 38-year-old US resident.

The plane, a Learjet, left Nassau around 4pm and hit a crane at the Grand Bahama Shipyard around 5.10pm and crashed in a nearby junk pile. All persons on board were killed instantly.

At Saturday’s church service, the Ministry of Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Glen Beneby recalled the life of the 34-year-old co-pilot.

He said Cooper’s mother approached him in 1998 about giving her son – who was out of school and working part-time at a supermarket – a full time job in the Anesthetic Department.

“I said very little and she looked me in the eyes, and then she uttered words to this effect with sincerity, ‘He is a good boy, he never gave me any trouble, he is obedient, he is hard working. Even from a young boy, he would take radios and instruments apart and without any supervision put them together and they worked.’

“At that moment, I was convinced that he was deserving of an opportunity and I said to her let him apply and that was the beginning of a wonderful career experience that has been outstanding in every aspect of the professional journey within the healthcare family.”

Throughout his tenure at PMH, Cooper progressed rapidly up the career ladder gaining the support of the heads of various departments in the hospital.

“One day while I was at work, Franhkan pulled me aside and revealed to me in confidence his real desire was to become an air plane pilot but there were challenges he faced,” Dr Beneby said.

“We talked seriously, but how could you not support such a positive young man who was deserving? Before long into the conversation I found that I made the commitment to join him in the aviation aspiration which he held dear in his heart. I facilitated him wherever and whenever I could. It was a joy when he went to aeronautical school and passed all the licensing examinations – it would seem to me in record time.

“When Franhkan told me he was pursuing his Learjet license because he was being engaged by Pastor Myles Munroe and BFM ministries as a part of the flying team it was a happy moment indeed and we celebrated together. He had reached a pivotal milestone in this life-long desire and he was very satisfied indeed, and it was evident in his demeanour to us who came to know him well.”

A funeral will be held for the Parks at BFM this Friday. The church will hold a memorial for the family at BFM on Wednesday night.

A memorial for Dr Munroe and his wife is scheduled for December 3 at the national stadium. Their funeral will be held at BFM on December 4.