A man known by many as Bermuda’s king of bees was a hardworking and humble man, his family and friends said yesterday.

Randolph Furbert, the former president of the Bermuda Beekeepers Association, died last Thursday at age 85. Paul Furbert yesterday said that his father was a “God-fearing man who was very giving, a natural leader and a mentor to many”.

He said that said the Hamilton Parish resident should be remembered as a “role model and guide”.

Mr Furbert added: “He desired to see his people succeed and offered his knowledge, skills and resources, to help many.”

He said that his father had stood as a father, grandfather and “papa” to many generations “who have developed valuable work ethics and spiritual values whilst working with him”.

Mr Furbert said his father was “open and comfortable in all environments — rich and poor, black or white”.

He added: “A great man has passed.”

John Furbert, Mr Furbert’s other son, described his father as true family man. He added: “He was very loving.”

Mr Furbert said that his father was a longstanding congregation member of Crawl Gospel Hall and an avid traveller.

He added: “He would go to every beekeeping gathering overseas. Wherever it was in the world, he made sure he got there.”

Thomas Sinclair, a former president of the Bermuda Beekeepers Association, said Mr Furbert was a man who loved his bees, his family and his faith.

He described Mr Furbert as Bermuda’s best known modern beekeeper and said that his contribution to the BBA had been “huge”.

Mr Sinclair said: “He did an awful lot for the association.

“He was always willing to share his knowledge and expertise.

“He always had words of wisdom. He’s going to be an absolute huge miss.”

Mr Sinclair said Mr Furbert had a quick wit and was “the king of the one-liners”.

He explained: “Just some of the little things that he said — you know, like: ‘the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement’.”

Mr Sinclair said Mr Furbert was a well-travelled beekeeper who made friends easily wherever he went.

“He added: “He was very well liked. And not because he was a keen researcher, it was just his love of bees and his friendly personality.

“People just knew he was special. He brought out the best of other beekeepers and beekeeping in Bermuda.”

Karla Eisen, the Virginia state delegate for the US-based Eastern Apicultural Society, said that Mr Furbert had been a regular attendee at the non-profit’s annual summer conference.

Ms Eisen said that she met Mr Furbert at an EAS event in Rhode Island in 2011.

She added: “I was fortunate enough to be able to visit him in Bermuda a year or two after meeting him and he was kind enough to take me and my husband on a tour of several of his apiaries.

“He was a kind and welcoming man filled with passion for the honey bee and a desire to share his passion. He was a welcome sight when he attended the annual American beekeeping meetings with his spirited personality and lovely voice.”

Mr Furbert is survived by wife Gail, sons Paul and John, and daughter Heather Roberts.