BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SOME two months after her father Richard Elmond Hodge went missing at sea, Shauna Maynard is offering thanks to those organisations and people who comforted and strengthened her during her time of distress.
On December 24, 2008, Hodge and two other fishermen, Joseph ‘Joe’ Chambers and Julius Alcendor, left for sea and have since not been found. The local Coast Guard and other entities mounted a search operation with the hope of finding the men but were unsuccessful in their quest.
Maynard spoke to SKNVibes exclusively on Friday, February 27, 2009, just three days after the two-month anniversary of the men’s disappearance.
“First, I want to thank God for having me here still and seeing me through all I went through in December concerning my father, one of the men who disappeared at sea. I want to thank those who helped us especially the Coast Guard and the police in any way they could. To the members and pastor of the Cayon Church of God I say thanks to you for comforting me; especially to Sister Liddie Decosta and Pastor Ben Browne who were always there for me.
“I want to say special thanks to Mr. Glenroy Blanchette who was always there for me. I also want to thank my mom who called me every day to make sure everything was ok; my brothers and sisters and everybody who was there for me.”
She also expressed gratitude to SKNVibes for alerting the public of the incident and for the support shown to her, as well as Toni Fredericks of WINNFM who also provided her with support.
Several days after Hodge’s disappearance, his father passed away. This left Maynard grieving the loss of two of her male relatives. Her children, she explained, had an even more difficult time as they also had to deal with the death of their paternal grandmother.
A still emotional Maynard explained that because of the encouragement received, she was able to pass it on to her children which gave them strength to cope. She said her belief in God also gave her the might she needed at that time.
“It has gotten a little bit easier to deal with. Sometimes I try not to remember but the memories just kick in. It is still not easy seeing that he did not come home at all, and then 10 days after that, his father, who is my grandfather, passed away. So it wasn’t easy and now we are just trying to live life. But it was not that hard like once ago. My children had their share because I lost two and they lost three. They also lost their father’s mother. So it wasn’t easy for us at all at all at all. With the strength of God we have managed to keep it together.
“At times they would remember jokes about my father when he was here and they would talk about them and comfort themselves. Sometimes we laugh and talk, but sometimes we remember that he is really, really gone and it makes us sad.
Maynard said at this stage she has given up all hope that her father would be found and is endeavouring to “pick up the pieces and move on with my life”.
“It makes no sense to hold on for so long or we won’t get our lives together at all (but) there will always be a special place in my heart for him.”
