By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
As they reflect on the tragedy that affected the Johnson/ Dean family on Christmas Day, the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association hosted a candlelight service at the National Tennis Centre on Sunday.
It was a show of solidarity for the passing of the husband-and-wife team of Brent and Eulona Dean- Johnson in a car accident on Blake Road that left their young daughters Kinza and Sarni Johnson in hospital as they recovered from surgeries.
While family members of the Johnsons showed up for a gathering of BLTA executives and players at the National Tennis Centre, others tuned in via Zoom for the service that featured a number of prayers, scripture readings and tributes. “It means so much to the BLTA because Brent and Eulona were both an intricate part of our administration,” said BLTA president Perry Newton.
“Brent served on the board of the BLTA and Eulona was on the board of the NTC. They were active, they were tennis parents and they were a source of strength, not just to me, but other members of the BLTA. They were very supportive. It’s still an unreal feeling that they are gone. Their death was so tragic. We know that God is in control, so we look to the hills for our support.”
Newton said hopefully their passing will draw the tennis fraternity closer than they were and that they will be able to reach out and provide the support that is needed for their daughters, Kinza and Sarni.
He thanked Bernadette Major and Darnette Weir, who both stepped up and made it possible for the ceremony to take place in such a short time. He said it’s sad, but they wanted to show their support to the family.
Nashaka Johnson, a younger brother of Brent, said they are appreciative of Dwayne Gibson and the BLTA for their support of their family. He noted that Brent followed in the footsteps of his father, Samuel ‘Bookie’ Johnson, a versatile player who also participated in a number of other sports.
“Brent, in my opinion, was one of the smartest guys I knew and a father, who was there for his children,” he said. “It’s still a shock that he and his wife have just gone like that. To leave their children in the condition they are in is tough.
“But we want to thank everyone for the love and support and their prayers for our families, the Deans included. The focus right now is on the children. Sarni has two broken legs and Kinza had internal injuries, but they are stable in hospital right now.”
As a newly wed, the younger Johnson said he and Brent just communicated about life and what it takes to make his marriage work. He noted that he will be sorely missed, as will his wife, but they’re more concerned about ensuring that their girls are able to deal with the reality that they will have to go on without their parents.
Jaradette Dean, one of the seven sisters and two brothers of Eulona, said they are grateful by the gesture of the BLTA.
“It speaks volumes of the part they played in the tennis community,” she said.
“Brent always played tennis and when the kids were born, they all became involved in tennis. And we know that Eulona joined them in supporting them in whatever they did.”
Dean noted that she’s still lost for words, but is taking the death of her sister and brother-in-law one day at a time. However, she said they are trying to stay strong to provide the support that is needed for Kinza and Sarni.
As a doubles partner and close friend, Steve Thompson said he will miss their match every Thursday and their standard luncheon on Mondays.
“It’s a hole in everything,” he said. “We had a little group of players, but all of the tennis players out here were scared of us when we teamed up. This is not going to be the same anymore with Brent gone.
“He was the best out of our group, even though I got some matches against him on a regular basis. He was stronger, so it’s just not going to be the same.”
Perjae Major, who played several times against Kinza Johnson, wished her rival and friend a speedy recovery.
“It was on and off between us. Sometimes she would beat me and sometimes I beat her,” Major said.
“We kind of had similar games so it was always a tight match between us. But she played very well.
“She was very friendly on and off the court and her dad would also be cheering for her and whoever she played against.
“He was very supportive whether his daughter or the competition won, so it was very shocking to hear the news.”
The 17-year-old 12th grader at Queen’s College said she will miss that support from her father, but she hopes that Kinza will eventually return to compete again.
And while she has been more successful in her match-ups against Kinza, Sydney Clarke said it’s still hard to wrap her mind around the whole ordeal for the Johnson and Dean families.
“For me, I still don’t believe it. I’m still trying to process this whole thing because it happened so fast,” she pointed out. “Everything just changed so quickly, but I’m just praying that Kinza and Sarni make it through. They are pleasure girls and their parents were just wonderful people.
“It’s just sad to see this tragedy that happened so fast. I felt it was very nice for us to come together, either in person or on Zoom to remember them as they go through this experience.”
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