(Trinidad Express) The funeral of Tunapuna masman, gym owner and market vendor Balnarine “Balo” Bennie, who died of Covid-19 on May 3, was postponed yesterday due to a body mix-up.
Bennie’s funeral was scheduled for 10.30 a.m. at SIMO HSJ Simpson and Sons Funeral Home in St Joseph.
A cremation was expected to take place at the Long Circular Road Crematorium at 2 p.m.
However, when it was realised someone else’s body in a casket was at the funeral home, the service could not go on, the Express was informed.
The service was supposed to be streamed live on Facebook by the funeral home.
On his Facebook page yesterday, Member of Parliament for Tunapuna, Esmond Forde, who was a close friend of Bennie, informed those who planned to view the virtual proceedings that the service was postponed to a later date.
The tentative date for the funeral is now May 20.
Bennie, 63, died after battling Covid-19 for a week.
His son and wife also contracted the virus and are recovering.
Forde told the Express last week that at least one other person from Bennie’s gym contracted the virus, and subsequently transmitted it to a relative who later died.
Bennie was the owner of a gym at Phillip Street in Tunapuna.
He was a farmer in the Tunapuna market and was known for selling pimento peppers, hot peppers and ochroes.
He was also a founding member of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Bands Association and public relations officer of the Tunapuna People’s National Movement executive.
He entered the senior King of Carnival competition for 18 years.
Bennie would have celebrated his 64th birthday on August 21.
