St George’s MP Kenneth Bascome has spoken of his deep grief at the sudden and tragic death of his wife.

Describing Rochelle as his “rock” the One Bermuda Alliance MP said that his wife of 32 years had helped make his dreams come true.

Mrs Bascome was rushed to hospital on Tuesday evening after falling over at the couple’s home on Ferry Road in St George’s.

But despite efforts to resuscitate the 53-year-old she was pronounced dead at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

“She was always more supportive of my dreams than her own,” last night Mr Bascome told The Royal Gazette. “I always wanted to be in a position to make a contribution to my community and Rochelle helped make that possible.

“She supported me when I told her I wanted to run for Mayor and she was there when I was elected as an MP. She has been my rock and when I have had voids in my life she has been there to fill them.

“We had a good working relationship. We really understood each others strengths and weaknesses and it worked.”

Mr and Mrs Bascome met as youngsters because they both grew up in the same area of St George’s.

And they got married on November 17, 1981 at Richard Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church.

“We had a horse and carriage take us down the main street,” said Mr Bascome. “She told me when we were young that she had made up her mind and wanted to marry me.

“I would often tell people that she chose me and that they would need to ask her why she did that. While for me she was always a very attractive young lady and I appreciated the way she carried herself.”

The couple went on to run the Tobacco Bay Concession for more than two decades before Mr Bascome was elected to the Corporation of St George’s.

“Even to this day people come back to St George’s and ask after Rochelle,” the former Mayor of St George’s said. “They loved her cooking and they appreciated her professionalism.

“She was a little bit more private than me but she had her own personality.

“We became well known as the proprietors of Tobacco Bay and visitors would come back year after year.

“People in the town often asked me to get her to open up a restaurant.

“It was always a dream of mine to run a business and we did that successfully for 22 years. That allowed us to take some great holidays. We both loved to travel.”

Mr Bascome had been at the OBA caucus meeting on Tuesday night when he was told that his wife had had an accident at home.

He immediately went down to the hospital and was ushered into the family room.

“By the time I had got down there I think I already knew she had passed, even before they gave me the relevant details,” he said. “I am still not convinced that her falling down was the cause of death, and am hoping to find out more about the reasons why she died, and if there was more to it than just a fall.”

Mr Bascome added: “I will have to find more things to keep me occupied now. I am very active in the community and I will continue with that work. But, when I go home now I will have to sing to myself and cook my own food.

“If you never had the privilege of meeting my wife before you would have been overwhelmed with her professionalism and her beautiful personality. I will miss her so much.

“I would also like to thank all the people that have contacted me since Rochelle died to offer their condolences. I have been overwhelmed.”