On a Saturday in Friis Bay, St. John, friends and family lingered over memories of their life with Avelino Samuel. Hundreds of people gathered at Miss Lucy’s Restaurant to remember Samuel as patriarch, craftsman, educator, athlete and fisherman.
Samuel, 68, died June 7 after a lengthy illness. Those assembled in seats under a canopy with a platform set up for speakers faced a portrait of the deceased painted by his sister, Karen Samuel. There was no urn, no casket — nothing left to mourn.
Nephew Kurt Marsh Jr. invited anyone who wanted to share the stories of the time they spent with Avelino, also known as Bino.
There were many. All of them recalled a humble, unassuming man who set high standards for himself and all of those around him.
Evans Williams shared a lifetime of memories for a man he called his best friend. Michael Hodge spoke about the days they played volleyball together at school and in the St. Thomas Advanced Power League.
Coach Elridge Blake told a story about taking Samuel and his teammates from the then-College of the Virgin Islands to a regional competition where they returned home as medalists.
Like a proud parent, Blake added that all of those teammates went on past their college years to contribute to their community; doctors, coaches, military men, and artists.
Librarian Janet Burton and others spoke about the 30 years he spent teaching industrial arts at the Julius E. Sprauve School. She also recalled the days he sat quietly in her classroom. “Avelino was my student in the seventh- or eighth grade,” she said.
What caught her attention were the items he made in wood shop and brought back to the classroom; from that time, his teacher saw Samuel as someone who would grow up making “beautiful and practical things.”
Williams remembered the day he brought the spinning top he made in a shop to school and showed it to his friend. The next day, Bino showed up with the top he made.
“Yeah — he would mash up everybody’s top,” said another classmate seated in the audience, not without a hint of humor.
Those who remembered said that was the start of a lifetime of woodworking and woodturning. It was a skill that flowed into another lifetime passion — spearfishing. As time went by, the spearguns came mounted on polished native wood turned on the craftsman’s lathe.
One young relative said he gained a passion for spearfishing from an uncle who held demanding standards for catching, scaling and filleting the catch. Son Jonte Samuel told how he followed his dad into the undersea world. He remembered Bino’s reassuring presence even as five-foot sharks swam by; something that could cause some concern for Jonte, who was often swimming along carrying the fish they caught.
There were also those who found it fitting to share these stories outdoors on a sunny Saturday blessed with a cooling sea breeze, alongside the ocean Bino loved.
Gallery owners David and Priscilla Knight spoke with pride about having Samuel’s pieces featured in their St. John shop. Williams spoke about the dining room set his best friend made for him.
So did Tregenza Roach, now lieutenant governor, who asked for a dining room table, although he had just returned from law school with little to his name. Arrangements were made for payment and the table was delivered.
At the gallery, the artist would meet with collectors for his finely-turned, stained and polished pieces. Once, while pursuing the Smithsonian Museum website Priscilla said she admired a wood vessel with familiar features.
Then, she said, she looked at the artist’s name: Avelino Samuel, Coral Bay, St. John. Picking up the phone, Priscilla asked if he forgot to mention something.
“What?” he said.
If he had pieces that were being featured at the Smithsonian. He answered casually – Yes.
“And you didn’t tell anyone?” she asked.
“No,” he said.
The gallery owner said she urged him to travel to Washington, D.C., for the debut of his work at the nation’s renowned museum. With some persuasion, he agreed.
Upon returning home to St. John, she said Samuel thanked her for encouraging him to make the trip.
Perhaps his middle school teacher summed up the sentiment expressed by most at the Saturday memorial. “I saw in him humility; he was a regular person. Despite his fame, he was the same person you met in life — that was him,” Burton said.