Official Funeral for Ryan Peralto

The Government has announced that an official funeral will be accorded the late Senator and former Member of Parliament, Ryan Peralto, who died on Friday, January 23.
The funeral service will be held on Monday, February 9, 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 will be given by Prime Minister Bruce Golding; former Prime Minister, Edward Seaga; and representatives from the Jamaica Labour Party, the People’s National Party (PNP), the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and the Jaycees of Jamaica.
During his long political career, which began in the late 1970s, Mr. Peralto also served as Mayor of Kingston; 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. Guided by the Roman Catholic Jesuit priests, Mr. Peralto intended to become a doctor. Family finances did not afford him that opportunity, so he entered the business world, while serving St. George’s College Old Boys Association, the Lion’s Club, and then Jaycees of Jamaica.
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.
Through his early experiences with designing Naco louvres, Mr. Peralto was able to exercise his innate systems approach to problem-solving. Working with Alcan engineers, he designed the ‘Movawall’ partitioning and ceiling systems for Modern Partitions. That foundation allowed him to later formulate and patent the design of Jamaica and the world’s first electronic voting system, while being a member of the Electoral Advisory Committee. His first book, ‘Insure Your Democracy’, outlines his life, especially his work.
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).