Emotional send-off for Usain Bolt’s dad
Published:Tuesday | May 6, 2025 | 10:12 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
While fighting to keep his emotions in check, Jamaican athletics icon Usain Bolt yesterday credited his father, who operated a grocery shop in their home community of Sherwood Content, Trelawny, with teaching him the value of respect for others.
“When it comes to respect, anyone who knows me knows that I am very respectful … that is one of the biggest lessons I learnt from my dad. No one could go in his shop and behave bad; and no matter how old you were, he would tell you to get out of the shop, and stand outside, because if you have no respect, you cannot come in there,” Bolt recounted. “That is how my dad was, and that is how I am trying to grow my kids.”
He was speaking at the Falmouth Seventh-day Adventist Church in Trelawny, which was filled with mourners, music, and emotion on Sunday as tributes poured out from relatives and well-wishers during the funeral for his father, Wellesley ‘Gideon’ Bolt.
The younger Bolt recalled how his father, a punctual man whose parenting style was strict but ultimately loving, demonstrated kindness to anyone who came seeking assistance from him.
“My father was tough on me, but I know he always wanted the best for me. I love my dad, and he was a very kind person… he was a very giving person, and as we talk about the shop, that shop cost me a lot of money, because all he did was give,” said Bolt. “No matter what or who it was, anybody from Sherwood Content can tell you that they could always go to him and say, ‘Mr Bolt, I’ll pay you tomorrow,’ and he would give to them.”
Niece Charlene Davis, who delivered her uncle’s eulogy, likewise noted that kindness and humility were key parts of the elder Bolt’s personality.
“Gideon’s devotion extended to his own family. During his mother’s extended illness, he lovingly prepared her dinner before going home to his wife and children,” Davis recalled. “Though Gideon has left us, his spirit of love and kindness will never be forgotten. He touched countless lives, and the reflections of his generosity resonate deeply within our hearts.”
Political representatives, including Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness; Culture and Sport Minister Olivia Grange; former Prime Minster Bruce Golding; National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang; Trelawny North Member of Parliament Tova Hamilton; and Dr Wykeham McNeill, the People’s National Party’s prospective candidate for the constituency; were in attendance at the three-and-a-half-hour service.
“The entire nation mourns with you. Usain is a global icon, a national hero, a national asset, and every Jamaican is grieving at this time with Usain and his family,” said Holness in a brief tribute. “Usain said, ‘Whatever I am today, it was because of my parents.’ I am sure it would have taken Usain’s village to raise him, but it began in the home.”
Members of Jamaica’s sporting fraternity, such as legendary cricketer Chris Gayle, sprinter Nesta Carter, and Bolt’s coach, Glen Mills, were also present to provide support to the Bolt family, as well as representatives from the Jamaica Union of Seventh-day Adventists and the North Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Tributes also poured in via remembrances and songs from representatives of the Jamaica Coffee Board, where the elder Bolt was employed as a supervisor and field manager between 1982 and 2001, and the Waldensia Primary School in Sherwood Content, Trelawny, of which he was a past student and a member of the school’s board of governors.
Wellesley Bolt was born in Lime Tree Garden, St Ann. on July 12, 1956, the fifth of six children for parents Cyril and Maude Bolt. He briefly attended the Lime Tree Garden Primary School, but his schooling there was affected by an asthmatic condition.
The family later relocated to Windsor, Trelawny, with Bolt attending the Waldensia Primary School in Sherwood Content. He later settled in Sherwood Content, where he operated a grocery store until 2017. He met and married his wife Jennifer, with whom he had three children, Usain Bolt, Sadiki Bolt, and Christine Bolt-Hylton.
Wellesley Bolt, who was a constant supportive presence throughout his son Usain’s rise to track and field stardom, suffered a stroke while in England in 2017. His health declined in the years afterwards until his passing on March 31 this year at the age of 68.
He is survived by his wife, three children, eight grandchildren, other relatives and friends.