George Lynch had to be persuaded to move to Bermuda but once he arrived he found his “inner Johnny Barnes” and talked to everyone he met.Those who attended a memorial service for the 40-year-old murder victim on May 13, 2010, heard touching tributes to a loving husband, father and son who was “truly a man of the people, for the people”.Mr Lynch, affectionately known as Peter, was born in Kingston, Jamaica and had dreams of becoming a jockey as a young man.He eventually switched gears and moved to Canada, aged 25, to be with his older siblings and father. Mr Lynch settled in Toronto where he took many jobs in order to fund his education. He gained degrees in economics, general management and administrative studies from York University, as well as certificates in human resources management and Canadian securities.Mr Lynch worked at the Toronto District School Board for more than a decade, joining as an information assistant and leaving in 2009 as a mobile employment counsellor.He also studied to become a certified management accountant and, according to his mother-in-law Rita Woolridge, was “just on the verge” of completing his CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exams when he was fatally shot on May 5.Mr Lynch’s family said he met the “love of his life”, Bermudian Nekesha Holdipp, at York University’s Black Students Alliance and eventually persuaded her to become his bride. Ms Holdipp returned to Bermuda with their daughter Emoy and her son Enaharo due to the economic situation in Canada, where she became a teacher at Victor Scott Primary School.Mr Lynch hoped his family would settle in Canada but “with some convincing”, according to relatives, eventually came to Bermuda. He and his wife had another daughter, Eshe, two. Ms Holdipp was pregnant with their third daughter, Etana, now one, when Mr Lynch was killed.Those at his memorial service at Hamilton Seventh-Day Adventist Church heard: “Upon coming to Bermuda, he was introduced to swimming by attending a boy scout camp with his stepson.“With encouragement from his mother-in-law he tried on the Bermuda shorts style and he found his inner Johnny Barnes and became a people person, talking to any and everybody he met.”Mr Lynch’s family said he was “passionate for the underdog” and a staunch union man, known for his copious note-taking and asking of pertinent questions at union meetings at King Edward VII Memorial, where he worked in the environmental services department. On the evening he was shot, Mr Lynch was visiting a neighbour who’d given evidence in a Supreme Court trial days before.His family said: “To the very end, he loved his mother, his children and wife, and a good plate of food. He enjoyed pontificating with family, friends and associates and his trait of supporting people through time of need is the high note on which his life here ended and upon which his new journey began.”