It is every father’s dream to leave behind a legacy for his sons. Almost 50 years ago, Reginald Raynor Sr. began doing just that when he opened Raynor’s Shell Service Station. Today, his dream lives on.

No stranger to the community, Reginald Sr. was a former St. George’s Cup Match star of the 1930s, an accomplished organist with the Vernon Temple Church and a founding member of the Southampton Rangers Sports Club.

Both he and his wife, Lucetta graduated from the Berkley Institute and Mrs. Raynor continued her love for educating the youth a primary school teacher for almost 46 years and as a founder of The Socratic Literacy Club.

Like her husband, she too was an accomplished organist and music teacher to hundreds of local children. All five of their sons<\m>Sheridan, Lloyd, Carl, Lee and Reginald Jr.<\m> were involved in some aspect of the family business from a very young age.

Reginald Raynor Jr. recalls how despite adversities, his father, “a proven visionary”, successfully opened his own filling station on November 10, 1958.

“This whole new building is a testament to the hard work and dedication of my parents who through very difficult times in 1958, persevered and successfully obtained the right to have this station,” he remises.

“They had to go through a legal battle with the government of the time and the lesson this taught him, and was passed on to me, is to never give up.”

It was this belief that his father instilled in his sons and is something Mr. Raynor passes down to his own son and his employees: “If you stand up for what you believe is right, you will succeed!”

Mr. Raynor took over the business in 2000 after his father, who passed away in 1996, had leased it out for a short period.

“At that time I bought out my brothers and became the sole owner,” he adds.

First and foremost it remains a family-orientated business with his wife Pamela as co-owner and always by his side, while his brother Lee and cousin Nigel Adams are both actively involved in the business by working on the fuel court.

“Over the years the business has been a real blessing to our family and the community, all thanks to God,” he shares.

It is this Christian belief that continues today in the operating of the business which remains closed on Sundays and also distinguishes itself from other gas stations in Bermuda by not selling cigarettes. Meanwhile the adjoining garage, which was built just prior to the service station, is as much an integral part of the entire business as the service station, by offering mechanical work, spray painting and fixing flat tyres.

When he took over the business in 2000, Mr. Raynor felt it was time for a change and approached Shell to discuss renovating the service station.

Last November, the business closed for the first time in 48 years so that renovations could begin. Mr. Raynor says it felt like “forever”. He tells The Royal Gazette <$>with a chuckle: “It’s the first time we’ve been out of business this long, so it seemed like we were closed for a long, long time, but when you look at the complicated procedures that had to be carried out, it wasn’t that long.”

As partners, Shell agreed to build the canopy, tanks and pumps, while Mr. Raynor footed the bill for the entire building. But then tragedy struck.

Before construction could begin plans had to be altered drastically to include an elevator after Mr. Raynor’s son Matthew was involved in a horrific diving accident at Horseshoe Bay in 2004<\m> an accident which left him wheelchair-bound.

Once again the family’s determination to succeed despite all odds prevailed, and on July 28, 2006, the new service station opened, boasting 18 hoses on a new, modern fuel court and a new a convenience store with a deli serving hot food all day.

Breakfast is available from 6 a.m. until 11 a.m. and includes bacon and eggs and omelettes, while the all-day menu offers tuna fish sandwiches, chicken or veggie burgers, old school chicken dinners, milkshakes, French fries and chicken wings.

“We are sort of feeding the total man. You can fill your car up while we fill you up with food,” he adds with a laugh.

Keeping the Raynor tradition alive, Matthew is also involved in the day-to-day running of the business and will soon be responsible for monitoring the 16 security cameras set up inside and around the business.

As for operating times, the service station is open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. during the week, and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays.

Mr. Raynor shares that his friend Chris Mitchell, who manages Paget Shell, allowed him to train his cashiers at this service station so they could be acclimated to the new system by the time they reopened for business: “That’s something you don’t see everyday and I’m grateful to him for that.”

He adds that because of this fantastic support, not only from friends and family, but also the community at large, his parents’ dream has been kept alive and he was looking forward to serving the community for another 50 years.

Raynor family roots are deep seeded