Pallbearers and family members carry the body of Ray Hadeed following a thanksgiving service yesterday at the Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Old Hope Road, St. Andrew. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Family and friends yesterday remembered Ray Hadeed, a former president of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), as a man who served his family and country well.

Mr. Hadeed who died last week at age 87 after a long illness, was yesterday laid to rest.

Justin Awn, grandson of Mr. Hadeed, said his grandfather was his role model.

"He has accomplished so much. I used him to set an example for myself and if there was one, what better man to look up to than my grandfather?" he said, at the funeral, held at Sts. Peter and Paul Church along Old Hope Road, St. Andrew. "He is a wonderful man, he has done a lot for his community, a lot for his family and friends."

Dedicated father

His daughter, Frances Awn, said her father was a dedicated father who had a brilliant mind.

"I miss our conversations, our dinners and even our disagreements," she said while paying tribute. "We challenged each other's minds, he loved his family, his wife, his company - his Serv-Wel family. His first employee has been with him for 50 years and still carries on."

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister, Edward Seaga, lauded Mr. Hadeed for the growth of the manufacturing sector during the late 1950s and 1960s.

"The sector became the driving force of the Jamaican economy, increasing its contributions to GDP and doubling the workforce to 150,000 (in the 1960s). This was one of the golden years of the Jamaican economy," Mr. Seaga said.

Mr. Seaga also credited Mr. Hadeed for bringing the JMA to prominence during his time as president.

Valuable stabiliser

"In this, it (the JMA) served as a valuable stabiliser during the rough years and an agent of growth in good years. Without a doubt, he was pre-eminent as a leader in the private sector, a respected adviser to govern-ment, a tireless achiever and a loyal son of this adopted home."

Mr. Hadeed, an immigrant from Syria, started his first manufacturing operation in 1954 where he produced outdoor aluminium furniture in a small factory of 900 square feet.

By 1958, that factory began producing indoor furniture under the 'dinette' brand. The factory grew from 900 square feet to 400,000 square feet with a labour force of more than 1,000 employers.

Mr. Hadeed who was presented, the Order of Jamaica, last year, was married to Rose Hannon, who predeceased him. He died leaving three children.

Those in attendance at yesterday's service included Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Opposition Leader Bruce Golding, government ministers - Aloun Assamba and Phillip Paulwell, and Opposition Members of Parliament, and many from the private sector.