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The daughter of a "lovely" hospitality worker who "always had a joke in his pocket" has shared her heartfelt thanks with the island's Romanian community for raising nearly £2,000 to bring him home after he suddenly passed away.
58-year-old Mihai Șandru - nicknamed "Nea Mihai" by his colleagues at the Boat House in St Aubin - died of a heart attack last week.
His daughter Andreea described him as "a good man, hard-working and friendly".
"Everybody who knew him [said] beautiful words about him," she added."He was the kind of person that was always there to help. He always had a joke in his pocket."
After learning of her father's death, Germany-based Andreea came to the island right away, and said that those in the Romanian community, who have an active presence on Facebook, could not have been more helpful – both supporting her emotionally, financially and with navigating various administrative processes and contacting the embassy.
Pictured: Mihai had lived in Jersey for four years, having "been around the world", according to his employer.
"When I came here, the Romanian community and association were really helpful giving me information and helping me with whatever they can," Andreea said. "I was really surprised to see how supportive the Romanian community here is."
One thing that came as a shock was the complexity and cost of repatriating her father's body. She was told it would cost between £8,000 and £10,000.
And while Mihai qualified for a death grant, he did not qualify for Income Support as he had not been in Jersey for the required five years.
The Romanian community rushed to her aid and quickly generated £1,700 after a Revolut was set up for donations.
The Boat House has also pledged to put some money towards the costs, and even total strangers had chipped in to help.
The Manager of the Boat House, Cristian Sufer, paid tribute to Mihai, who he recalled would lend a hand with translation for Greek-speaking employees, having previously lived in Greece himself.
"He was a lovely man," he told Express.
"He was a very good employee and a friend of everybody".
Fundraising is still ongoing, but Andreea said that she wanted to thank everybody who has helped so far – "with information, with donations, even just calling me asking, 'How are you? Can I help?'"
Andreea's Revolut account is at +4915209687262 and in-person donations are being accepted at the Boat House by Cristian Sufer, and at the Romanian Delight shop on Kensington Place.
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