The inscription on the inside cover page of the funeral brochure, for the late Anguillian long-serving educator, Mrs. Verna Fahie, summed up both her contribution to the children of the island, their parents, Anguilla as a whole, and her own qualities and way of life. It read: “Your Sacrifice is Love. Your Laughter, Cheer and Quietude are Blessings.”
It was in a similar spirit of love, gratitude, sorrow and farewell that the rank and file, from throughout Anguilla, joined with both sides of her immediate and extended families at the Service of Thanksgiving for her life.
The parting event was at the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary on Saturday, October 24. The officiating Ministers were the Rt. Rev. L. Errol Brooks and the Rev. Fr. Raliville Christian. The Organist was Mr. Devaunie Richardson. Mrs. Fahie, who passed away suddenly on September 18, 2020, was born on July 18, 1951.
The tributes, which preceded the Service of Thanksgiving, were a scaled down version of the Farewell Salute accorded to her on October 21 by the teaching fraternity and schoolchildren from across the island. The only tributes at the church included a special African song rendition by the Anguilla Jubilee Choir led by Ms. Lois Hazell; an account of Mrs. Fahie’s training and teaching career delivered by Chief Education Officer, Mr. Bren Romney; a song by the ALHCS Class of 2004; a musical selection by Mrs. Fahie’s brother, Mr. Mitchell Hazell on the trumpet, accompanied by Mr. Ash Hodge on the keyboard; and the eulogy by Mrs. Simone Connor-Alexander.
A fitting portion of the eulogy read as follows:
“We will not, at this occasion, detail the specifics of her career. But, we highlight that she had impacted the young minds of three generations of students…The children and grandchildren of some of her early students became Verna’s students. We recognise that Verna did not belong to us. Her calling was much wider than her immediate and extended families – and even wider than Anguilla. That is how she lived out her days: a Caribbean woman quietly transforming lives and her community for the better.
“Verna, while building her students’ self-confidence, and encouraging their potential, found the time to raise her own two children to be quiet warriors; to be comfortable in their skin; to acknowledge that they are first and foremost African and Anguillian. To her children she imparted the confidence to make their own choices. There was no pressure, direct or indirect, to follow a particular career path but, whatever they choose to seek, to always put their best foot forward.”
(Mr. Marcel Fahie’s and Mrs. Verna Fahie’s children, Kamau Fahie and Monifa Fahie, are both Scientists with PhD degrees. They reside and work in the United States and were able to return to Anguilla for their mother’s Service of Thanksgiving.)
In delivering his sermon on Servantude, taken from St. Luke’s Gospel, chapter 22 verse 27, the Rt. Rev. Errol Brooks, said in part:
“Those of us who knew Verna Kathleen Hazell Sebastian Fahie, know that she was a deeply spiritual person. She read God’s Word and she tried her best to live by that Word. She was talented… and committed to excellence – not just for herself but for others too. This latter characteristic of her vocation as a teacher, and administrator, manifested itself in her dealings with her students, many of whom sing her praises today. She dedicated her life to serving others. Verna was a non-nonsense person. She was not afraid to let you know where she stood on any issue. She loved her family and they loved her.
“And so, today, our hearts go out to her husband, Marcel, the children, Kamau and Monifa, her siblings and all the other family members. As it is with you, at this time, so it is with us. We feel your pain and Verna will live in our hearts. We thank God for the tremendous contribution which she made in this community, our region, and to far off lands.
“Now that she is at rest from her labours, we pray that God will grant her rest in His Kingdom. Verna’s life epitomises service to God and to God’s people. She wanted people to excel in knowledge, skill – all that would lead to wholesome living and to be of service to others.”
A human corridor, formed outside the Pro-Cathedral, by the decorated Class of 2004, provided a parting salute to the beloved educator as her mahogany casket was borne to the gravesite in the Church-yard Cemetery.
