By Eliza Magro
A large group of family, friends, and community members gathered in Coral Bay on Thursday, November 8, to commemorate the life of Nicky Brady in a candlelit vigil.
Brady disappeared last year on November 11, 2006, and nobody knows what happened to him.
The crowd at the 6:30 p.m. gathering shared stories about Brady and offered their condolences as they marched with candles and lanterns from Sweet Plantains to Skinny Legs.
Nicky, who took medication for a mental illness, didn’t talk a lot yet everyone loved him and made sure he was okay, explained one community member.
Nicky’s older brother Buster Brady and his wife Sharon organized the vigil with several friends from Coral Bay.
“I feel like I’m missing part of myself,” Buster Brady said. “I miss my brother. I remember Nicky from his birth to his disappearance.”
“We fished a lot together and did a lot of other things together too, and then it all just came to an end,” Buster Brady added. “I have no idea what happened to him. He just disappeared.”
“Nicky was always right here, waiting for the food to be done, and visiting with the people,” Nicky’s nephew, Buster Brady Junior said. “I have no idea what happened to Nicky.”
Somber Tone
The somber tone of the evening was warmed by a seaside fire, where Buster Brady Junior and Merissa Sanchez prepared steamed fish and corn for the crowd.
Buster Brady Junior described Nicky as a thick, strong, barefooted, pleasant man, and someone who never bothered anyone.
“The police looked for Nicky for a week and then stopped,” Buster Brady Junior said.
“The police didn’t make a solid effort to find Nicky,” Buster Brady added.
“We have no idea up to now what happened, but maybe there’s enough candle light here tonight, for him to see his way back,” Buster Brady said.
Nicky Is Kind, Helpful
All of Nicky’s friends and family related what a kind, and helpful man Nicky was.
“He was an extra pair of hands for me, always helping,” Sweet Plantains owner, Prince Adams said. “He was a good man with a kind heart.”
“Nicky was part of a big family that defines Coral Bay,” community member Edmund Roberts said. “His grandmother Consuela was my first and second grade teacher at the former Ben Franklin School, now the Guy Benjamin School.”
Family members who attended the vigil were: sisters Valencia and Daren; brothers, Eugine, Terance and Buster, and nephew Buster Junior. Nicky’s parents, Enid Francis and Terance Brady, have already passed away.
The crowd stopped its march outside in the parking lot of Skinny Legs, and came together in a circle around Nicky’s sister Valencia Benjamin. They shared stories and raised their candles to the sky in honor of Nicky.
“Nicky may not be here physically, but he is here with us in spirit,” said Bonny Corbeil, community member.
The crowd shouted out, “Blessings always brother.”
“It is hard to have closure, without knowing where he went,” Benjamin said. “We would appreciate any information that anyone has.”