(CMR) Powerful vocalist Cardinall DaCosta (88), a pioneer of dry cleaning in the Cayman Islands, passed away over the weekend.
The owner of Puritan Cleaners was born in Savannah in 1935 to Olga and Augustine DaCosta. According to an interview done with DaCosta by the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce in 2008, his story is a true piece of Cayman history.
Trained in navigation, he got his first job at 14, working at Clayton Merren’s steam pressing business down at the waterfront, making 4 pounds or so a month. DaCosta held on until age 19 when he began a career at sea with the US Merchant Marines.
“I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. The fact that so many young men went to sea has made Cayman business what it is today in that we were able to better understand how people in other countries live,” he told the Chamber of Commerce.
But a life at sea had its downside. “That was not very good for family life, so I decided to come back so I could start a family,” he said.
In 1958, starting with a pressing machine purchased from Mr. Merren’s now defunct steam shop, DaCosta and his brothers, Wilbur and Hartman, and other family members opened Puritan Cleaners on North Church Street, where Rackam’s pub is today.
“We chose the Puritan name because they are known for having had a very high standard of expectations. Our customers should expect no less of us,” he said then.
Soon after, the business expanded to include bulk laundry services for hotels such as Beach Club, La Fontaine, Coral Caymanian, and later on, the Holiday Inn, Hyatt, and Treasure Island. In 1960, DaCosta and Hartman also set the stage for becoming well water pumping, treating, and distribution experts, having acquired the dealership for F. E. Myers pumps and water systems.
In 1961, DaCosta married Susan Garrett, and the couple went on to have five children, Pamela, Olga, Charissa, Mowbrey, and Jason. He remarried to Joy Henning in 1996.
As the years passed, DaCosta took on the role of managing Puritan himself until he bought the store from his brothers, and the company’s name was changed from Puritan Cleaners Ltd. to Puritan Cleaners (1980) Ltd.
He was a founding member of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce and was made an honorary member.
In 1997, DaCosta released his first album, “The Sound of Her Voice.” DaCosta was described as a powerful vocalist, with music and singing as two of his greatest loves. Cardinall’s CD Precious Memories has been described as a collection of eleven well-produced and clearly-cut songs that take the listener out of their normal state and deliver them into a profound experience of connectedness and love.
In 1977, DaCosta recorded the first Pirates Week song, Sylvia Bodden’s “Pieces of Eight,” which became an overnight hit. Some 2,000 vinyl 45 RPM records were sold. The following year Cardinall came in second place with his song “The Ghost of Edward Teach”.
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