Our family is saddened to announce the passing of Emma Trude Smith, our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, great aunt, and cousin, from this earthly world.
“Ms. Emma”, as she was respectfully called by so many, died peacefully at home at the young age of 97; she was 16 days away from her 98th birthday. Ms. Emma, was born on August 26, 1927 in the British Virgin Islands to Amelia Victoria “Miss Vicky” Abbott and Ludwig “Captain Jack” Smith. Her siblings are Roosevelt Smith Sr, James Anthony Smith (deceased), Wally Ogard Smith (deceased), Ellen Smith Farara (deceased), Ivy Smith O’Neal (deceased), and Iver Smith Ocana Vessup (deceased). She was a Jehovah Witness. For multiple years, bible study meetings were held in her home on Monday evenings. She attended Wednesday meetings and Sunday service at Kingdom Hall and joyously did field service.
Emma was kind, gentle, mild, sweet, & loving. However, she was, also, courageous. This gentle woman at the age of 20 left her native island of Tortola, BVI to journey to St. Thomas and St. Croix in the USVI for employment. In those times, islanders traveled to whatever island on which they could find work. Emma was employed as a waitress at the Oasis Restaurant in St. Thomas in the 1960’s. This restaurant was owned by members of the Barbel family and was a classy favorite for so many. In the 1970’s, she worked as a favorite waitress at the Crazy Cow restaurant, a landmark in V. I. culinary & restaurant history for so many Virgin Islanders as they fondly look back. In the late 1980’s, she retired to spend time taking care of her grandchildren.
Emma loved to sew, crochet, garden, and take care of her family. She loved to play Chinese checkers with her grandchildren, cook each grandchild’s special dish, do sewing craft projects with her granddaughters, and sew school skirts for them. She had a green thumb that could grow mango, soursop, sugar apple, guava, coconut trees and just about any other tree or flower she wanted to grow. She loved animals and fed multiple cats every day. For about 10 years, she fed a land turtle who visited her home every day until hurricanes Irma and Maria occurred.
Emma is survived by 5 children, Milagros Saldana, Felicita Saldana Richards, Germaine Saldana Vanterpool, Enrique Saldana, Miguel Saldana. One child, Ligia Torres is deceased. There are 9 grandchildren Ramon and Nicole Saldana, Vince and Genia Vanterpool, Jerome and Serene Saldana, John “Allie” and Albert Richards II, and Amber Richards Lake, 7 great grandchildren, Alyna, Albert, and Alden Richards, Aria Wynter Saldana, Isabella, Timothy III, and Nathan Lake, brother Roosevelt Smith Sr and sister-in-law Durene Smith, son-in-law, Albert Richards Sr. and Vincent Vanterpool, daughter-in-law, Susie Wong Saldana; nieces Nidia Ocana Frett, Faye Smith Penn, Diana Ocana McKay, Mary Ocana, Joan Delores Smith Sebastien, Recia Smith Robin, Kim Doanne, Mirta Farara Williams, Heather Farara; nephews Jose and Freddie Ocana, Ogard Jr, Phillip, Mitchell, Ronald, Roosevelt Jr, Ian Seymour, Patrick, and Nicholas Smith, Arthur Titley, Ronald Jr “Tootie” and Mikey Farara Jr., numerous cousins, and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, Aug. 22, 4-6pm at Kingdom Hall on St, Thomas and on Saturday, Aug. 23 at the Turnbull Funeral Home with viewing at 9 a.m. and funeral service at 10 a.m. We will forever miss this kind, gentle, loving soul. However, we glory in the fact that she is with the Lord. May she rest peacefully in the arms of God, the Father.
Funeral arrangement by Turnbull’s Funeral Home and Crematory Services.
St. Croix Source
Deaths
