The community has paid tribute to a man of intellect and moral fortitude who had a deep love for his country with the passing of Shawn Crockwell.

Whether it was engaging with young people on the importance of education, fighting a cause in the courts of law or representing his fellow countrymen in the political arena, he did so with heartfelt passion and insight, according to his family and friends.

Damon Hendrickson, the pastor for the Somerset and Rockaway Seventh-day Adventist Churches, said he liked to think that his cousin, who passed away at his Hamilton home at the age of 47, was “on a journey”.

Mr Hendrickson said: “One of the things he learnt from faith is that it is important to serve others before yourself. As he got older, he tried to position himself where he could be influential and serve others in the best capacity he could. That is why he wanted to get into politics: the whole notion of being able to help not just a small faith community but being able to help the larger community. He was active on every level.

“I like to think that my cousin was on a journey and it was a journey that was cut short. You could hear it in the tone of his talk and the tenor of his speech that he was growing as a man, and we hadn’t yet seen the best that Shawn Crockwell had to offer to this island.

“In many ways he was seen as a leader of our country — where he could have gone to who knows, but with his desire to serve and the God-given abilities that he was blessed with, I don’t believe there was any ceiling to what he could have done in this country.”

Mr Hendrickson also described Mr Crockwell as a man of faith who cherished his family.

“He loved and cared deeply about his family. As he got older, that only deepened further.

“He grew up in the Southampton Seventh-day Adventist Church — he was one of the founding members of the Southampton Inspirational Choir. At one point in time, Shawn fancied that maybe he might go into ministry, but that quickly turned into a love for law.”

Chief Justice Ian Kawaley spoke highly of Mr Crockwell’s aptitude as a lawyer: “I had the privilege to be involved with Shawn Crockwell during his early legal education. He was extremely bright and showed great promise. He fulfilled that promise after he was Called to the Bar.

“He consistently displayed a high degree of intellectual clarity, integrity and professionalism whenever he appeared in court. He could have had a comfortable, successful and quiet commercial legal career, but had the courage and civic-mindedness to enter the demanding arena of public service as well. Shawn Crockwell will be sorely missed but not forgotten by Bermuda’s legal fraternity.”

His close friend from childhood and university contemporary, Wayne Caines, reflected on a life with his friend that was akin to “a life from a storybook”.

He and Mr Crockwell met when they attended the Bermuda Institute in 1982. Mr Caines and his twin brother, Dwayne, were quick to befriend Mr Crockwell and their families became close. As the boys matured together, they became “inseparable”.

Graduating from the Bermuda Institute, Mr Crockwell went to study in Canada before rejoining his friend at the Oakwood College (now Oakwood University) in Huntsville, Alabama. They were roommates and both studied history and political science together. They were also members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, which “develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities” and were members of the Rho Chi Chapter.

“We attended the Adventist church, we ministered in music all over Bermuda. Singing, which was one of Shawn’s passions,” Wayne Caines recalled.

“He was a fastidious student and showed exceeding discipline. In class he was able to ask the intellectual questions, to probe to get to the bottom of the matter. He was disciplined in sport and in diet — it was noteworthy that for a young man he wanted to incorporate a law firm called C&C Incorporated. Unfortunately, we never got to see that come to fruition.

“Being members of the fraternity was a huge opportunity for us to develop a deep bond as brothers. It is a blow for his brothers in the fraternity, for our church family and for his family, but we know he has left an indelible mark on our community.”

The pair were also in a college group, Willing, Succeeding and Blessed, for which they used drama to recruit students for the university. They held talks around the United States, speaking with children about the benefits of education.

Mr Caines spoke of his admiration for how Mr Crockwell was able to deal with adversity, saying that despite the prison spell he served, “he was able to excel, rehabilitate and change lives”.

Mr Crockwell used his time in prison to study law. In 2009, he was Called to the Bar and was elected as an MP for Pembroke West in December 2007. “He was able to make change in our country. Most recently I was able to talk to him about the changes in politics. He was committed to making a change in Bermuda and he and I spoke about my commitment and how we could make a change together. It is difficult for me to take it in because we were just talking about what Bermuda would look like if we could take it in a different direction.

“Most importantly, the people in his community, whether it is the Seventh-day Adventist community of faith, whether it is the brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha Incorporated, the members of the OBA, the members of the PLP or the members of the community at large, we should focus on the positive things in his life and how he tried to effect change to stand up against wrongdoing. We should all use this as an example in our lives of how we are to govern ourselves and use his message and life’s mantra as a beacon to guide hope and give light in this dark world.”

Longtime friend Alan Dunch said he was “tremendously shocked and saddened” by news of Mr Crockwell’s death.

Mr Dunch, a lawyer at MJM, said his relationship with Mr Crockwell dated back to the latter’s days as a Supreme Court clerk. He said the two had been professional colleagues and friends for the past decade.

“I considered Shawn a good friend,” Mr Dunch said.

He described Mr Crockwell as a very dedicated and loving family man, particularly to his daughter.

“I have very fond memories of her coming to the office and visiting with him, and visiting me,” Mr Dunch said.

“It’s a tremendous loss for her and for the family.”

Professionally, Mr Crockwell was a very good lawyer, Mr Dunch added. “He and I worked closely, side by side, and I had tremendous respect for his legal ability.”

Mr Dunch said that he would remember Mr Crockwell most for his determination to put his past behind him and pursue the career path he had wanted to chart from a young age.

“The community at large has lost someone who made every effort to contribute in as meaningful a way as he could,” he said. Fellow lawyer Charles Richardson wrote in a post online: “Despite being on opposite political teams, we began this journey together.

“I have seen him at his best and his worst, and I vouch for him as one of the most sincere persons I have known.”

Mr Crockwell leaves behind his parents, Howard and Juanita Crockwell; sons Shauntino and Curtis; daughter Maya; brother Mark Crockwell; sister Juanae; former wife Susan Davis and his special friend Cami Bean-Caines.