Today marks one year since Wilfred Outerbridge Jr, a 35-year-old father of three, was taken from his family and community by gun violence.

The loss of the popular and community-minded Mr Outerbridge has permanently changed the lives of his loved ones, who told The Royal Gazette they had been left with wounds that would “never truly heal”.

Maxine Brown, Mr Outerbridge’s former wife, said: “Wilfred’s three children — Arianna, 17, Jayden, 12 and Journee, 7 — are living proof of the long-lasting devastation caused by violence.”

She added: “They are the ones forced to carry this burden, their lives for ever marked by the loss of their father.”

Mr Outerbridge’s last words to his son, Jayden, were a promise to take him to school the next morning.

His daughter, Journee, turned 7 two months later, wondering where her father was.

Carla Outerbridge, Mr Outerbridge’s mother, said: “She was just sitting there at the party, waiting for him to show up.”

Journee was said to enjoy looking at pictures of her father as a young man and wearing red, his favourite colour.

Ms Brown said both children were “struggling” to cope with the aftermath.

“When a life is stolen, the pain of the intended target ends quickly,” she said. “But for the family left behind, the grief is enduring and unrelenting.”

She said Journee spent her seventh birthday “quiet and withdrawn, her sorrow unmistakable as she waited for her dad to walk through the door”.

“Now she spends her time looking at videos and pictures of him, clinging to the memories of a man she’ll never hug again.

“Jayden turned 12 without his father by his side.”

Ms Brown said that in honour of his memory, the family held a beach bonfire, leaving an empty chair adorned with a pillow featuring Mr Outerbridge’s image.

A sign next to the chair read, using one of his nicknames, read, “Don’t sit — Freddy’s seat”.

Ms Brown said the “bittersweet gesture was a heartbreaking reminder of the gaping hole left in Jayden’s life”.

She said that Arianna, Mr Outerbridge’s eldest child, had turned 17 three days ago.

“As she prepares to graduate high school in May 2025 and pursue her dream of studying medicine, she faces each milestone without her father’s support.

“Wilfred will never see her walk across the stage, celebrate her achievements or guide her into adulthood.”

In the year since his death, family members said they had battled post-traumatic stress, depression, insomnia and social withdrawal.

Some, including Mr Outerbridge’s children, have needed ongoing therapy.

Others have had to rely on medication “just to make it through the day”, Ms Brown said.

She added: “Grief is profound and rarely acknowledged.

“In Bermuda, where bereavement leave is a mere few days and support services are minimal, families like Wilfred’s are left to endure their pain largely alone.”

Ms Brown said some had endured “ostracism”, with people unfairly linking them with the violence that took his life.

Mr Outerbridge, a trained carpenter and entrepreneur nicknamed “Goodman” for his community service, was the victim of a targeted attack in his home at the Railway Trail in Warwick, west of the junction with Cobbs Hill Road.

The murder is among Bermuda’s many that remain under police investigation.

One of Mr Outerbridge’s close family members, who asked not to be identified, said: “Never being able to see him again, watch him grow old, or hear his voice — it’s unbearable.

“Sometimes I wish I could stay asleep just to see him in my dreams. Not a day goes by when he isn’t missed.”

The family said Mr Outerbridge’s death had also placed a heavy financial as well as emotional burden on them, with the care and upbringing of his three children resting on the shoulders of their remaining parent and extended family.

Ms Brown said the costs of schooling, extracurricular activities and day-to-day living “weigh heavily — while the perpetrator of this senseless act remains unaffected by these struggles”.

She added: “Wilfred was more than a victim of gun violence — he was a beloved father, a son and a friend.”

Ms Brown said his family had organised remembrance events, such as a candlelight vigil, and celebrated what would have been Mr Outerbridge’s 36th birthday of August 31.

This October, in a testament to Mr Outerbridge’s love for his community, they led a Keep Bermuda Beautiful beach clean-up in his childhood neighbourhood of Bailey’s Bay.

Ms Brown said: “But honouring Wilfred is not enough. The violence must stop. These acts of brutality do nothing but destroy lives and devastate families.

“As a community, we must rise above this. We must come together to teach compassion, empathy and respect for human life. We must restore strong morals and values, instilling in our youth a sense of accountability and care for one another.”

She added: “To those who commit these acts of violence, we ask: ‘Is this worth it?’ Does the momentary satisfaction outweigh the lifetime of pain left in your wake?

“To the people of Bermuda, we plead: let Wilfred’s story be a turning point. Let his memory inspire us to create a safer, more compassionate community.”

Ms Brown said the family wanted to see his memory “live on as a call for change — a call to end senseless violence and to choose peace”.

As in the past, police asked for anyone with possible information on Mr Outerbridge’s murder to use the main police number, 295-0011, or the 211 reporting line.

Information can also be provided through the BPS online community reporting portal.

The public can use the independent and anonymous Crime Stoppers Bermuda hotline at 800-8477, or submit confidential tips via its website, www.crimestoppers.bm.