Omar was a wonderful man - widow remembers happier times

Tanya Walker, the grieving widow of Omar Walker, who died on Saturday after he fell into a pit and was covered with sand, said she wants her husband to be remembered for the amazing man he was, and not the tragic way he died.

"He was a father, a lover, a brother, and most of all, he was my best friend. He even has a tattoo on his belly saying, 'My family is my strength'. He was a family man to the end, and that's how I want him to be remembered," she said.

She added that Omar was a jovial person, who would light up a room whenever he walked in.

The pair had been together for eight years and share two children, Summer, who is four years old, and Zadan, who is three.

Regular visits

Tanya said she and the children live in England, but they would make regular visits to Jamaica to spend time with their beloved Omar.

"I just came back from Jamaica about a month ago. While there, we went to Mystic Mountain and we went on the rides. He went fast and he screamed and laughed and said 'Make we do it again!'. I told him he's like a big kid, and he said, 'Me a your big kid'," Tanya shared.

Tanya said her children had a wonderful father. She said Omar and Summer would always engage in playful banter, while Zadan enjoyed playing horse with his dad.

Tanya said she spoke to Omar a couple of hours before he passed. Omar was talking to her while waiting on his friend, the truck driver, to arrive on the site.

Tragic way

"The last text I have from him he said, 'Babes, me friend come now so bye' and I said, 'ok, later'," Tanya shared. Later that evening, she received the terrible news.

Though saddened by the tragic way he died on the grounds of the National Chest Hospital in St Andrew, Tanya said she is trying to find peace in that he died doing what he loved.

She said he had dreams of opening his own sand-mining company.

"He was so passionate about sand mining. He found comfort in it. He could tell you everything about sand. He used to identify the different types and tell me about it. It's sad that what he loved ended up killing him," Tanya shared.