His daughter, Deli Martinez, married to Peter Eden Martinez, a UDP politician of Toledo, told Amandala that up to February, her father showed no signs of illness, but in March he began complaining of feeling weak and fatigued.

He gradually became weaker, and finally, in the presence of his loving family, passed away.

Bismark, a Senior Justice of the Peace, was a pioneer rice farmer, and just before his death, wrote several times concerning the problems of rice production in Belize, his beloved country.

He wrote two books ? Toledo Recollections and Forgotten Village. Deli said that Bismark loved writing so much he would write on anything and everything that was around him. Bible verses were his favourites, and he would stick these on the walls.

According to Deli, Bismark was very active in his village council in his early years, and his idol was then Premier George Price.

?My father was a self-taught man, leaving school at Standard 6. He was very good with English,? said Deli. ?He believed he lived a full life, and that he had written enough, although he loved writing.?

Bismark?s wife, Rosita, predeceased him by eleven years, and of his eleven children (6 boys and 5 girls), ten were with him when he died.

Bismark will be buried on Saturday, May 13, from the Forest Home Methodist Church.

Amandala offers sincere condolences to the family of Bismark Ranguy, Sr.