Drummer, DJ, barber, community stalwart and business owner; in his 71 years there was little that Calvin Carmichael did not try his hand at and ultimately achieve.

The committed family man, who was devoted to his two daughters and four sons as well as his six siblings, passed away in Texas exactly a year ago today.

This afternoon friends and relatives will gather at Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church to remember his huge contribution to the community.

His sister Sandra Mitchell told The Royal Gazette: “He was a brother that stood closer than a friend.

“He bought the homestead that my father and mother built but told us all that it would always be our home.

“He said we always had a place to come and a roof over our head. That was the kind of brother he was.

“Calvin was a great father who was always there for his children.

“He approached life with its many ups and downs with excellent deportment and unassuming dignity.”

Mr Carmichael grew up at Whaling Hill in Whale Bay, Southampton and attended Southampton Glebe School. He left school at an early age to help his father and got a job with Works and Engineering on the garbage trucks. He later became an orderly at the hospital before opening up his own barber shop off the corner from Rayner’s Gas Station in Southampton.

Mr Carmichael was a passionate musician and a talented drummer in a local band that played all over the Island. He was also a popular DJ who often played at Place’s Place.

He went to set up his own business, Carmichael’s Sanitation Services, and along with two friends he was also instrumental in establishing the Warwick Community Education Programme for young and mature adults.

Ms Mitchell added: “He was an avid boatman. He bought a cruise boat and chartered it by cruising down south from island to island and then brought it back to Bermuda to do cruises. Always an outgoing person, he met and made friends with many people across the US.

“Everyone he met just fell in love with him.” In 2003 he married American citizen Olga Craine-Carmichael and in 2009 the couple moved to Texas.

Ms Craine-Carmichael said: “He was one of the kindest men I have ever met. He was a real giver and contributed a huge amount to the people around him and his community.

“He was a beautiful husband and friend, always patient and kind. Whenever you saw him what you noticed first and always remembered was his beautiful smile. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for you.

“One of the highlights in his life was meeting Dr Claude Platte, a black Tuskegee Second World War fighter Flying Ace, who became one of the best friends Calvin ever had.

“Dr Platte invited Cal to join the Black Tuskegee Airmen’s historical organisation, a decision he held dear to his heart.”