Mourners packed the Heritage Worship Centre yesterday to celebrate the life of an “exceptional” man.

Dejion Stange-Simmons inspired a service filled with song, as friends, family and comrades paid their respects to the soldier.

Royal Bermuda Regiment Commanding Officer Lt Col Michael Foster-Brown commenced tributes to the “respected and popular member of Warwick Camp”.

“He was dedicated, hard-working and had an enthusiastic passion for soldiering, which his troops responded to,” he said.

Lt Col Foster-Brown also spoke on behalf of others who described him as “second to none in maintaining morale”.

“His loss will be strongly felt across the Regiment,” he added.

Mr Stange-Simmons’s close friend, Marquisha Douglas, called him “my friend, my brother, my confidante and my protector”.

“DJ loved his family,” she said. “He would do anything for them.

“The Royal Bermuda Regiment was his second family and he loved them like blood as well.”

Ms Douglas spoke ahead of his sister, Mikaela O’Brien, who wept as she stepped down from the stage. When she returned, Ms O’Brien said: “DJ was a treasure. We miss him dearly.”

His father, Andre Simmons, said: “Do not let this day be the end of DJ.”

Holding Sandrine Stange- Simmons’s hand, he said: “This is the mother of my son. Wonderful job she did. Marvellous job she did.”

Family members took to the stage in red. Gathering in a supportive embrace, Mr Simmons said: “These are people that he latched on to and they couldn’t let him go. What a man. What a life.”