A service of celebration and thanksgiving for the life of Stewart R. Mott was held on Sunday at St. James Anglican Church in Somerset. He was the son and heir to the fortune of Stewart Mott, the man who built the General Motors Corporation of Flint, Michigan into a billion-dollar corporation.

The elder Mott also built as his summer home, the sprawling Parapet estate on the southern side of Fort Scaur, Somerset in the early 1930s.

Although born in Flint, the younger Stewart had strong Bermuda connections. He was baptised here at St James Church, spent several of his young years in Bermuda, and towards the later years of his life, seemed to divide his time almost equally between the United States and Bermuda.

The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal were among the newspapers that recorded his passing. The latter described him variously as a "political maverick", "fat cat" and "eccentric liberal philanthropist".

Stewart's sister Maryanne, nephew Stewart, his nieces and his staff from Stewart's Washington office attended the service, conducted by the Rev. Carl Williams.

Maryanne and all others paying tribute at the service delighted in highlighting Stewart's virtues and extraordinary eccentricities alike. She spoke of his multilingual capabilities and his generosity.

He was an active supporter of many environmental and progressive social issues in Bermuda. The former long-serving Deputy Leader of the Progressive Labour Party, Walter Roberts, said he was an enthusiastic, honorary member of the Progressive Labour who wore his PLP pin proudly, upsetting his many United Bermuda Party friends. He incessantly reminded me that although he had joined the PLP and spent as much time in Bermuda as in the US, he felt it was unfair that he could not vote here.

The day after the church service, Sister Maryann scattered his ashes over The Parapet, joining those of his mother and fulfilling his wish to remain in Bermuda.

Mr. Roberts flew from his home in Florida especially to lead the local tributes to Stewart. Others included Mrs. Olga Scott, wife of former PLP Premier Alex Scott; environmentalist Stuart Hayward; and yachtsman and musician Ralph Richardson, the first black Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Mr. Roberts recalled first meeting Stewart about 30 years ago. It was an unusual meeting and anyone who knew Stewart knew that the path of negotiating a friendship with him was not an easy road to travel.

He was eccentric and down to earth at the same time. He was intelligent and could converse on any and every subject imaginable. There are many conflicting adjectives in the English language that could be used to describe him. All would be correct. He was against all forms of bigotry and prejudice, but because of his upbringing, he on occasion had to catch himself from expressing those ingrained ideas that were conflicting with his persona.

He really felt a part of the Sandys community. He offered and gave donations supporting his community and many other charities and ventures throughout the island. Examples of these were the Somerset Brigade Band (which played selections at the service), the Sloop Foundation, Age Concern, the Maritime Museum, and the Sandys Secondary School Foundation

"Stewart loved to have women friends. He had a weekly ad in the Sunflower section of the Bermuda Sun newspaper. Over the years I was introduced to many of his girlfriends who had flown down from the US for a week or two visit. As he was an avid web searcher for companionship, he was meeting many of the ladies for the first time. There are many personal stories I could tell about Stewart concerning these visits, but I won't," said Mr. Roberts.

"We had several conversations on the hereafter. At first he would argue that life came to an end at death, but when he began to realise his own immortality, he became more vulnerable to considering what happens after death. He recently consented to join me at my weekly Bible study group in Hamilton Parish."

Mr. Roberts added: "I do believe that that fellowship with my biblical friends had an effect on him, as his latest conversation with me was more in tune with his afterlife and whether his journey on this Earth would be continued after death. On several occasions I shared my faith and expressed my spiritual views with him.

"I do feel that this had an effect. I do believe that in his last few months and days on this earth his realisation of his immortality enabled him to make a personal decision to his God."

Photos show family and friends of Stewart Mott emerging from the service at St. James Anglican Church, Somerset. Former PLP Deputy Leader Walter Roberts (below, far left) , unabashedly sporting one of Mr. Mott's less flamboyant outfits, is seen with Maryanne Mott, Stewart's sister. Other local leaders included former Premier Alex Scott (pictured above leaving the church) and Reginald Burrows and their wives. Cabinet Ministers, community leaders and friends were later entertained at a reception at The Parapet.