THE VALLEY, ANGUILLA 18 September 2019 (Public Relations Officer Premier’s Office)
It is with a deep sense of sadness that I learnt of the passing of Lady Josephine Gumbs MBE, wife of the late Sir Emile Gumbs, Anguilla’s second and longest serving Chief Minister.
A native of Canouan, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Lady Josephine Gumbs adopted Anguilla as her island home. In 2006, she was awarded the MBE for community service. She was a very humble person with a pleasant demeanour and was a great lover of nature. In this vain, she will be best remembered for her extremely hard work as a member of the Anguilla Beautification Club (ABC), as a past President and organizer of the annual Flower and Garden Show. Lady Gumbs served Soroptimist International of Anguilla with distinction and held virtually all the top executive positions in the organization: President, Secretary, Councilor (Liason between the UK and Anguilla), and the second President, Soroptimist International Caribbean Network. She was also a very active member of the St. Gerard’s Roman Catholic Church.
On behalf of the Government and people of Anguilla, I express heartfelt condolences to the Gumbs’ family and ask that you keep them in your prayers during this time of their bereavement. May her soul Rest In Peace.