“Community and Church Worker

February 12 /2014

Mrs Hyacinth Jones (Hughes) was one of the most ambitious and happy workers in the community one would have the pleasure to meet. Affectionally called “Hy” by her closest friends she used her entrepreneurial skills to her advantage. She had a charming personality and deep interest in the lives of others.

Hy developed her skills as a cook once she realized she had to feed a large family and always had invited guest in her house. This flicked a little voice in her head maybe she should open up her own guest house and open a guest house she did. With a no- nonsense attitude, assisted by her father Henry James Hughes who was an architect and building contractor she built on to her home to accommodate both family, friends and also guest coming to visit from overseas.

Interestingly the guest house got its name from both her and her husband Everard as people called him Everoy and not his given name so the name stood as HI-Roy Guest House. Hyacinth and Everard worked their guest house and made it a success. He was a Jazz lover but this didn’t stop him from being an expert baker and very often it was his expert tasty baking goods that adorned the tables at Church functions.

Hyacinth spent her early school days at Central School. She became a Brownie, Girl Guide, and later a Ranger. She prided herself on being a good student and as such she became a monitor in her class and house captain of her school sports team. She was spiritually inspired by the strong guidance of her father who was a Salvation Army Officer.

In her teenage years she worked as a book binder at the Bermuda Press but this was only for a short period she later became a manager of the Kenwood Club where she worked for 15 years. Hyacinth’s ancestral line was from St. Eustatius a Dutch country near St. Kitts. She was proud of the fact of her heritage. Her Granny Jane Sarah Elizabeth Hughes and Grandfather John Hughes were natives of that country and her granny was known for her famous “S” cake, which persons from all over Bermuda would come to purchase. She kept the recipe for that cake a life long secret.

Hyacinth readily expressed her love for the church and became an ardent worshipper at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church. She served as a Steward, President of the Mosley Club for Progress and overseerer for the Store house of God. I learnt so much from her while working as a young person on these two committees with her. She used her guest house to host many events for the church. In the community she served on the Pembroke Parish Council for several years this gave her the added joy of looking out for the Seniors and needy of the Parish. Her favorite saying was “leave it in my hands” and guaranteed anything left to her capable hands would turn out well. Hyacinth was a class act with a warm smile and giving heart. Bermuda lost a true community hero on her passing but God gained an ardent and faithful worker.

updated by Joy