Author, historian and St. George?s figure, David Francis Raine has passed away at the age 63.

Mr. Raine had many friends in the town, including Mayor of St. George?s E. Michael Jones.

?I had the pleasure of working with former counsellor Raine for six years or so. I thought he certainly was dedicated as the work was offered on a voluntary basis to the town,? Mr. Jones said.

?He taught for many years and hundred and hundreds of students have come up under his tutelage.

Mr. Raine held a BSc degree in business and sociology from the University of Maryland.

?He was involved up to his last days with Sea Cadets in St. George?s,? Mr. Jones said.

?We will miss the 20 odd years he put in as a businessman in the community at Bridge House Gallery, which he only recently closed after 20 odd years.

?He also was a prolific writer of history and wrote a number of books about the town including Sir George Somers.?

Some of his 13 published works include: ?Pitseolak: A Canadian Tragedy?, ?Architecture ? Bermuda Style?, ?The Historic Towne of St. George?, ?Rattle and Shake?, ?Bermuda As It Used To Be? and ?Sir George Somers: A man and his Times?.

?The Island has lost someone who continued to gather information,? Mr. Jones said. ?The community will certainly miss him, as he was a man always seen around town. Most of the public knew who he was.

?We send our best on behalf of the Corporation and the people of St. George?s to Jill his wife and his two sons,? he said.

Born in London, Mr. Raine moved to Bermuda soon after getting married. His wife Jill Amos Raine is an artist and his son Andr? recently published a book on Bermuda birds.

?We hope they will bear up under the tremendous stress of losing a loved one. We know they were very close. They were together right to the end. We take this opportunity to say we hope God will look after his family in his absence,? Mr. Jones said.