Today is a very sad day in Bermuda and around the world. I will do what I can, as I did 4 years ago getting Johnny his Bench and Handrail, to have the Bench and Handrail removed…and have Johnny’s statue moved to where he waived to commuters for so many years at the Foot of the Lane Roundabout. RIP Johnny, you will be missed by thousands!
—
Johnny Barnes, famed for bringing cheer to locals and visitors, has died at the age of 93.
Mr Barnes, who had become an icon and ambassador for Bermuda, passed away early this morning in King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, with his wife, Belvina, and members of his church at his side.
His passing was confirmed by Kenneth Manders, president of the Bermuda Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists. He was Mr Barnes’s pastor for 13 years at the Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“Brother Johnny Barnes represents what has become known as the spirit of Bermuda,” Mr Manders said. “His life, his love, his legacy has touched thousands of people in our community and those who have visited our country.”
Mr Manders continued: “His ministry has blessed people who were in need of prayer in the early morning. He was a Christian man and always tried to show the love of God and demonstrated that to all of mankind. He will be sadly missed.”
Mr Barnes was known for his trademark “I love you” greetings which he bestowed on hundreds of commuters every morning from about 5am until 10am at the Crow Lane roundabout.
A bronze statue by Desmond Fountain of Mr Barnes, arms raised in greeting, was erected a short distance from the roundabout in 1998, and in December 2015 a replica was put in place at the Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute in Ontario — a testament to the international fame that came to him later in life.
“Amen, amen — it’s a blessing, and I thank God for it,” Mr Barnes said at the time.
“Everything belongs to God and nothing belongs to us. He has not allowed me to have boys and girls so he has given me statues.”
He was also the subject of a film, Mr Happy Man by Matt Morris Films, and immortalised by numerous photographers and artists over the years.
Johnny Barnes was born on June 23, 1923. His parents came to Bermuda from St Kitts in the West Indies.
He was an electrician by trade, working for Bermuda Railways. In 1948, after the railways closed down, Mr Barnes became a bus driver.
It was his calling as a well-wisher to all that later became his true vocation, however.
As Mr Barnes grew older, a bench and railing were placed at his traditional calling spot: in 2012 concerned commuters had pushed for a permanent seat, after an ambulance was called when he lost his footing and had difficulties regaining his feet.
In his usual fashion, Mr Barnes made light of any health troubles: the ambulance was unnecessary, he said, as he had merely tripped trying to get out of a hole that developed through the years of him standing on the same patch.
He had been greeting commuters from the roundabout since 1986.
Mr Barnes had been absent since December after he developed leg problems.
“When you get to 92 you have to slow down a little bit,” he told this newspaper at the time.
“When you have an old bike, you can put oil on the wheels to make them go, but I can’t put oil on these knees.“
As retirement loomed he said he wanted “everyone to know that I will always love them and I am thinking of them”.
“I hope people continue to look up and keep saying yes. But for me sometimes you have to listen to your body.”
Published by the Royal Gazette; Sarah Lagan
