In a celebration of life befitting of his spirit, well-known gombey troupe leader Dennis Bernard Hilgrove (Chicken) Place was buried at sea on Tuesday, May 21.

Described by his brother Andr? as "someone everybody loved", Mr. Place died suddenly of a suspected heart attack on May 16.

"Initially, he wanted to be buried with his boat, but it was not possible. So instead we arranged for his body to be interred in the ocean," said his brother Andr?.

Mr. Place loved the water from a very young age and could always be found fishing.

"Right up there with the love he had for his children was his love for fishing," said the younger Mr. Place.

The late Mr. Place was also a well-known barber with a loyal following. Because he did not have his own shop, many of his clients would follow him to wherever he was cutting hair. Many refusing to let anyone else touch their heads.

Mr. Place led the gombey troupe since 1965, when he took over the responsibility from his father when he retired. He passed the leadership onto one of his sons 12 years ago.

Remaining active in the community, Mr. Place and his gombeys travelled to the Smithsonian Institute last year to participate in the Folklife Festival and this year demonstrated how to make gombey masks at the agricultural exhibition.

The day before his death, Mr. Place spoke to students at the Berkeley Institute about the artistic heritage behind the gombeys.

In a tribute to him, the students assembled at his funeral at the Wesley Methodist Church to offer their condolences to his mother, Mabel Place.

As he was being taken to his final resting place 45 minutes off Bermuda's shores, the rhythm of the gombeys' drums could be heard on the mainland.

"The drummers beat all the way out to sea and back. As his body was released to the sea, not one tear was shed," said his brother.

"Everybody was at peace."