Bermuda is mourning the loss of one of its most recognizable and, in many ways, unforgettable characters.
Junior Maxwell Ming, affectionately known throughout the island simply as “Scientists,” died on Tuesday, leaving behind a wave of memories, photographs, videos and stories from people who encountered him over the years.
From Dockyard to Somerset, Hamilton, Paget and virtually every parish in Bermuda, Scientists was a familiar face.
Following his passing, social media was flooded with photographs and videos capturing some of his many unscripted encounters and presentations with members of the public.
But behind the public persona was a man his family says had feelings, experiences and a life story that many people never took the time to understand.
TNN News spoke with two of Scientists’ nieces, who reflected on their uncle and the outpouring of love and condolences that followed his death.
One niece said she was overwhelmed by the overwhelmingly positive response on social media.
“I was so overwhelmed,” she said. “It was nothing negative about him. Everything was so positive.”
She recalled being with her uncle at Lindos on Monday, where he was found outside and subsequently taken away by ambulance.
She said at the time she did not believe the situation would be her last opportunity to see him.
“I just thought maybe he was having a seizure or something,” she said. “I didn’t think that would be my last time that I would see him alive.”
She acknowledged that Scientists had his difficult moments, but said that was simply part of being human.
She also recalled how members of the community regularly looked out for him — buying him food, providing clothing and blankets, giving him money and simply spending time with him.
“He had his bad points with everybody,” she said. “That’s Uncle Junior.”
Her sister echoed that sentiment, saying the community should take a lesson from Scientists’ life — particularly when it comes to compassion.
She said people often see individuals struggling in the community and are quick to judge them without knowing the circumstances that brought them to that point.
“We don’t know their story,” she said. “We tend to look at them as troublemakers or turn our faces, but we don’t know the story.”
She said she had personally taken the time to explain Scientists’ circumstances to people, and in doing so, witnessed a change in the way some people interacted with him.
Her message was simple: people must be treated with compassion and dignity.
She recalled an incident at a store years ago when Scientists was having what she described as one of his bad days. An employee, unaware that he was still inside the store, reportedly spoke about him in a manner that deeply hurt his feelings.
“He has feelings,” she said. “And she hurt his feelings.”
For his family, that was an important reminder that despite his struggles and sometimes difficult behaviour, Scientists was still a human being.
The nieces also reflected on the reality that no one knows the trauma, disappointments and challenges another person may have experienced before reaching the point where the public encounters them.
“You don’t know the beginning of someone’s life,” one niece said. “You only see the end result when they get there.”
They also questioned why some people wait until someone dies before expressing publicly how much they cared about them.
At the same time, the family recognizes that many people genuinely did care for Scientists while he was alive.
They say countless Bermudians regularly provided him with food, soup, clothing, blankets and other necessities, while others simply spent time with him.
And for that, the family says they are grateful.
“Where there’s life, there’s hope,” one niece said.
Scientists’ bicycle remains parked at Lindos, where he was found on Monday.
The family says it intends to coordinate any future arrangements regarding donations or contributions and is asking members of the public not to establish GoFundMe pages or solicit money on the family’s behalf without first speaking with them.
For many Bermudians, however, the memories of Scientists will extend far beyond the circumstances of his passing.
He was a character. He was unpredictable. He could make people laugh. He could sometimes be difficult.
But he was also someone who became woven into the fabric of Bermuda life.
TNN News owner and journalist Trevor Lindsay recalled one of his own encounters with Scientists.
Trevor said he was driving along Burnaby Street when Scientists stopped him and asked, “Trevor, Trevor, you got ten dollars?”
His young daughter was with him and asked who the man was.
Lindsay told her, “This is Scientists.”
She responded by asking what kind of scientist he was, given the way he looked and dressed.
The comment sent Scientists into laughter.
“I’m the only scientist in Bermuda,” he reportedly told Lindsay.
Those seemingly small encounters, Lindsay said, are the memories that remain.
For his nieces, one of the most meaningful parts of Monday was knowing that they were able to see him and that he recognized them.
His niece said she was grateful she had been there at Lindos, grateful that he was found, grateful that he was taken to hospital — and especially grateful that, in those final moments, he knew who she was.
“He did recognize that it was me,” she said. “He knew that it was me.”
And perhaps that is how Bermuda will remember Junior Maxwell Ming — Scientists — not simply as the man seen on the streets, but as a human being whose life touched far more people than many may have realized.
TNN News and Associates offer sincere condolences to the families and friends of Junior Maxwell Ming aka scientist
Any content which is considered unsuitable, unlawful, or offensive, includes personal details, advertises or promotes products, services or websites, or repeats previous comments will be removed.
User comments posted on this website are solely the views and opinions of the comment writer and are not a representation of or reflection of the opinions of TNN or its staff.
TNN reserves the right to remove, edit or censor any comments.
TNN accepts no liability and will not be held accountable for the comments made by users.