Botham Shem Jean

Botham Jean was born to his mother, Allison, and father, Bertrum Jean, in Castries, Saint Lucia, an island in the eastern Caribbean. His friends called him “Bo.” He had an older sister, Allisa Findley, and younger brother, Brandt Jean. At an early age, Mr. Jean was self-assured and ready to dedicate himself to Christ, his mother said as she recalled memories of her son at a vigil. At age 8 he approached his parents and first asked to be baptized. “His dad said, ‘No, you’re too young. Do you know exactly what you’re doing?’” He came back to his parents again at the age of 9, “Dad, I want to be baptized.” It took two years of persistence before Jean was baptized at the age of 10. He began preaching as a teenager. He was a perfectionist, always with a plan. He attended Harding University, a private Christian school, in Searcy, Arkansas. Every year he attended Harding, Mr. Jean would return to Saint Lucia with classmates to show them his birthplace and give back to his community. During those visits, he would volunteer, working with at-risk youth and visiting the Saint Lucia orphanage. After graduation, he was hired as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas and found a new place of worship where he was a song leader. His death left a major impact, with over 1,500 attendees at his funeral, a foundation set up in his name and a scholarship in his name set up by both Harding University and his employer, Price Waterhouse.