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A God-fearing, caring, gentle and friendly giant are some the words that the father and sister of late Gleaner Company (ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É) Ltd subeditor Theodore Johnson used to describe him at his thanksgiving service, held yesterday at Roman's Funeral Home in Kingston.

'Theo' or 'Tallman', as he was affectionately called by his loved ones, passed away on September 3 at the University Hospital of the West Indies after a brief illness.

"Theo was the last person that I thought about would leave our family after our mother died. He was my first friend and an archnemesis at the same time while we were growing up. Our love, though very quirky, was there. He would always stick up for me when I was in trouble, so it was kind of confusing because he would stick up, inform on me, and then if daddy would get angry at me, he would be the one in-between trying to protect me. That was him," his sister Tara Munroe said.

Theo's father, Austin Johnson, described the 33-year-old as "the humblest person that I ever know".

"There are always times when there are rivalries between a father and a son, and they were times when we had tough times. But having said that, Theodore was the person who would not go overboard. He was very humble and mannerable," he said.

After graduating from York Castle High School in St Ann, Theo went to the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts.

"It was that time that I experienced a different Theo. A Theo who really looked out for his little sister and an actual mature friendship was birthed between us, and that continued until the day he died. He went on from Edna Manley to land his first and only job at the Gleaner Company, which for him was a very big deal," said Munroe.

Theo joined The Gleaner in 2013 as a graphic artist in the then business development and advertising department. In 2019, he moved to the editorial department and served as a subeditor up to the time of his death. Well over six feet tall, Theo was an avid sports fan, especially of basketball and football. He was a valuable member of the RJRGLEANER basketball team that played in the Business House basketball tournaments. His friends and co-workers all described him as affable, cooperative and dependable. One colleague declared Theo the recipient of the top award for being the 'Easiest Person with whom to Work'.

Munroe added that her older brother was never "bad mind".

"He would more celebrate you than you celebrate yourself. That was a very admirable trait. He was humble to the point where he would conceal his achievements. For example, it was at my wedding that we knew he was honoured as a graphic artist, and it was after he died that I learnt he was made Employee of the Month," she said.

Shaunette Jones-Wright, who worked alongside Theo at the subeditors' desk, described him as a "quiet and calming force and an all-round decent man". Dinnisa Saint Fleur, in her tribute, added that Theo was the type of friend who was always there when everyone else had gone their own way.