By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 17, 2023 – A Mass of Thanksgiving was held for Patricia Thomas at Christ The King Parish Church, Ridgeland Park, West, in New Providence, Bahamas, on Saturday, September 16. Archdeacon G. Kingsley Knowles, Rev. Desiree Johnson, Rev. Canon Stephen Davis and Rev. Deacon Cameron Saunders officiated. Interment was in the Haven family plot in the Eastern Cemetery.
I am extremely sorry I could not attend Patricia’s funeral to say a final farewell to my very, very dear and close friend, but I currently have a debilitating mobility problem as a result of repercussions from two hip replacement operations I had – in 2012 and 2013 – that started giving me problems three years ago and have gotten progressively worse over the past year, so much so that I have to use a walker to get around.
Fortunately, I am receiving excellent medical care from my doctors at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates: Dr. Christina M. Puchalski, my primary care physician; Dr. Robert S. Sterling, an orthopaedic surgeon; and physical therapist Joanna Hsu, with whom I am currently having once-a-week sessions for the next six weeks.
As a proud “son of Andros”, I had planned to go home home for the 50th Anniversary of Independence celebrations, but I was unable to do so. However, not being able to go home for Patricia’s funeral was even more disappointing.
As I noted in a previous post on Facebook shortly after Patricia’s death, Patricia and I were very close friends from our teenage years. She used to attend after-school classes held by my late Aunt Maria Elliott-Forbes at our homestead through Paul Meeres Corner (now Fleming Street), opposite Keith Chicken In Bag take-out restaurant.
After graduating from Bennett College in North Carolina in 1956, Aunt Maria – the youngest daughter of my grandparents, Ben and Mabel Elliott of Stanyard Creek, Andros – returned home and embarked on a teaching career that became the foundation of her life-long commitment to the education of young Bahamians.
Shortly after she came from college, Aunt Maria renovated the wooden house that was built through Paul Meeres Corner by my late Uncle Clarence Elliott – the eldest of Papa and Mama’s seven children — before he relocated to New York in the 1940s. Firstly, she converted one of the three bedrooms into an indoor bathroom, which meant that we did not have to continue using the outdoor toilet at the back perimeter of the property.
My late cousin Alphonso “Boogaloo” Elliott and I lived with Aunt Maria, and when Patricia started attending her after-school classes, we both were enamored by her stunning beauty and had a “boyhood crush” on her. In later years, Patricia used to tease me about how Boogaloo and I used to “harass her” while she was trying to get a good education.
During my daily morning meditation, when I give thanks to my Lord and Savior for being in the driver’s seat of my life — among other expressions of gratitude – I prayed that the soul of my good friend rests in peace until the dead in Christ shall rise on Judgement Day and we are reunited in Heaven.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Here a link to the Mass of Thanksgiving for Patricia Thomas at Christ The King Parish Church Ridgeland Park West in New Providence, Saturday, September 16, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/live/H7_LmnvUo1c?si=QuUfUFbZSZoMBrcs
EDITOR’S NOTE: Lindsay Thompson, who is Patricia’s cousin, posted the photos accompanying this article with the following narrative:
FAMILY: Mass of Thanksgiving for the Life & Witness of Patricia Thomas @ Christ The King Anglican Church. Our Treasure Trove of family history will be terribly missed but her teachings will live on, her wisdom, always a listening ear, sweet smile, and encouraging words. RIP, Cuz Pat
