Jamaicans Say Goodbye to Peralto Feb. 9

Jamaicans will pay their last respects to the late Senator and former Member of Parliament, Ryan Peralto, at the official funeral service, on Monday, February 9.
The funeral service will be held at the Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church, 62 Shortwood Road, beginning at 2:00 p.m. The body of Mr. Peralto will be at the church at 12 noon, for public viewing.
Tributes to Mr. Peralto, who died on January 23, will be given by Prime Minister Bruce Golding; former Prime Minister, Edward Seaga; and representatives from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), the People’s National Party (PNP), the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and the Jaycees of Jamaica.
Mr. Peralto’s body will be interred at a private ceremony.
Condolence books are still opened for signing by members of the public. One is at the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), and will remain open until Monday, February 9, the day of the official funeral. Members of the public can sign from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mr. Peralto served as Mayor of Kingston from 1981 to 1983.
Another condolence book is still opened at the headquarters of the JLP at 20 Belmont Road, in Kingston, and members of the public can sign until Sunday, February 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
During his long political career, which began in the late 1970s, Mr. Peralto also served as Minister of State in the Ministries of National Security, and Trade and Industry; and General Secretary and Chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
He was a member of the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC), and played a pivotal role in the electoral reform process. Mr. Peralto contributed much to the development of the improved registration and voting system, which has been widely acclaimed, both here and abroad.
Mr. Peralto was born on March 21, 1933, at the family home, 20 Cambridge Street, Franklyn Town, in Kingston.
In the early years, he attended St. Simon’s School, on scholarship, then St. George’s College. He took his first job as a salesman for L.J. Williams Marketing, later becoming Director for Naco Caribbean, which made louvre windows, and L.J. Williams. In 1963 he formed Modern Partitions Limited, Jamaica’s first partitioning and ceiling company. He also started Carpets & Drapes Limited and got involved in other commercial ventures.
Mr. Peralto was also a Vice-President of the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA) and a Director of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC).
He leaves behind, wife, Lorna, of 51 years; eight children, and 18 grandchildren in Jamaica, Canada, and the United States of America. (USA).