The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

"THE most important thing to possess is our soul. Let us wash it clean and give it back to the one who gave it to us," were the words penned by the late Prince 'Zorro' Stubbs in his obituary at his funeral service on Saturday.

Rev Fr I Ranfurly Brown, in delivering the eulogy at St Agnes Anglican Church, said as Stubbs reminded everyone: "It's appointed unto man to die and after death is the judgment."

Brown said all God requires is that "we love him and love one another." He said Stubbs' death causes us all to stop and to look at ourselves and find out where are we with each other and where are we with God."

He drew the illustration of the cross pointing to the vertical aspect between man and God, but he said the horizontal is just as important because you have to love one another.

In asking the question, "what does it profit a man if he gained the whole world and go to hell?" Brown advised the congregation to "mind your own business and get your soul right with God."

Brown said in Stubbs' way, he endeavored to make a difference in life as he created an atmosphere of happiness and joy and relaxation and that was his way of expressing love for one another as he told the world that he had something between him and God.

During the service, special tributes were done by Craig Flowers, former president of the Bahamas Golf Federation; Anthony Hinsey, vice president of the BGF and Agatha Delancy on behalf of the Ladies Golf Association.

Flowers, a childhood close friend also brought remarks on behalf of the Southerns Sporting Club, of which Stubbs was one of their founding members and most ardent all-around athlete, who excelled as a champion in pool, table tennis, cricket and golf.

He noted that Stubbs was also a prolific coach who helped the legendary Leonard 'Boston Blackie' Miller achieve a lot of his success in both boxing and cycling.

"Over the 50-plus years, he taught us how to be champions, he taught us it was not always about winning or losing, but it was about putting in the hard work every day and the will to take on the next challenge."

From a personal prospective, Flowers thanked the Stubbs family for time he spent in his family from the days of their association at his late father, Arnold Flowers Sr's pool room to the friendship that was developed with his deceased brother Arnold Jr and himself.

Flowers said his close and dear friend will be missed.

In his remarks, Hinsey said he got to know Stubbs through the game of golf almost 20 years ago and he said their relationship developed as they p[layed the game they so love together.

"You ask why a golfer spends so much time at the golf course," he questioned. "It's because if you stick around long enough, it's going to get cooler and it's in the cool of the day that you will encounter a visitor who might inquire where thou art. It is my hope that you will play your best round of golf."

And Delancy, whose fond memories with Stubbs began when girls were starting to do some of the things that only boys could have done.

"As destiny would have it, we shared the love and passion for the game of golf, which became the planks on which the bridge of our friendship was built," she pointed out. "Prince 'Zorro' Stubbs and I forged a friendship."

Upon the request of Pauline Curry, Delancy said she got acquainted with Stubbs and Harcourt 'Coins' Poitier and it was how she became exposed to the essence of Stubbs, who took pride in his native birthplace of Cat Island, who became a professional in the hospitality industry, who loved his family and friends and who was a trailblazer as he mastered the sport of golf as both a competitor and a mentor.

Stubbs, 80, was buried in St Agnes Cemetery after he passed away on Christmas Eve in the Princess Margaret Hospital.