The Broken Chain
We little knew that morning that God was going to call your name,
In life we loved you dearly; in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone.
For part of us went with you, the day God called you home.
You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you, you are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.
x x x x x
For Funeral arrangements please use link:
http://www.royalfh.com/fh/home/home.cfm?fh_id=10249
January 1, 1934 was a momentous day for on that day a daughter was born to Jessica and Ira Richards on a boat headed for the Caribbean island of Grenada. They named her Irene (meaning, “peace”), the first of three siblings. After the untimely passing of her mother when Irene was about 8 years old, Irene moved in with relatives in Montrose, St. Patrick’s. She spent her youth on Montrose and River Antoine Estates, the latter being one of the top distilleries in Grenada and manufacturer of the famous Rivers Rum. Irene was a diligent child with a love for books and reading, something that her mother had instilled in her at a young age. She attended the River Sallie Government School, where she excelled in history and English and was one of three students to qualify for the teacher training program. She loved dancing, played the mandolin, and rode motorcycles backwards. Once she sustained a major burn on her right ankle while riding her uncle’s bike, but she continued to ride, anyways. However, it was her reputation of being “a bright girl” that caught the attention of the neighbor, Mrs. Hazel Calliste, who then solicited Irene as letter-writer to her son, Lincoln, a brilliant young man with dashing good looks and loads of charm. He was attending college on the neighboring island of Trinidad.
Not surprisingly, Irene and Lincoln developed a romance through their letters and visits between college breaks. When she was 16, they married in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad started a family, and returned to Grenada. Their union produced seven beautiful children, whom they loved dearly. While raising her family, Irene wore various hats in the community including beautician, clothing designer, seamstress, caterer, and wedding consultant. She joined the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, Mothers Union, St John’s Anglican Church, Young Women Christian Association, and was a Domestic Science community instructor. She hosted the annual Policeman’s Dominos and Card Tournaments, and taught cooking classes at the YWCA.
After thirty years of marriage, Irene and Lincoln divorced. A few years later, Irene married Charles Hannibal, a dapper, energetic man who had recently retired from a long civil service career in London. Unfortunately, Charles died after only a few short years of marriage of heart disease, and Irene, now with health issues of her own, moved to the U.S. for healthcare and to be closer to her adult children. Once in the U.S., Irene regained control of her health and mustered up the courage to return to school in her late fifties. She graduated and began a successful career as a nursing assistant, caring for terminally ill patients in their homes. Her compassion and strong work ethic translated well into her work and endeared her to her patients. However, such dedication and hard work often comes with a price, and Irene paid dearly with her health when she missed her blood pressure medication and suffered a debilitating stroke which left her partially paralyzed and unable to continue her budding career. She rallied on and was able to walk again, surviving for another 13 years, but ultimately succumbed to the ravages of a series of cardiovascular accidents and died from related complications at the age of 81.
Irene was a loving mother, a good wife, and a warm, compassionate individual with a quick wit and delightful sense of humor. She loved hard, worked hard, played hard, fought hard and forgave easily. She lost herself in the movie Pride and Prejudice, was besotted with Mr. Darcy, the main character, and couldn’t get enough of Donkey in the movie Shrek. She loved Caribbean Black Cake, curry chicken roti, oil down, fig and bluggoe, and saltfish souce and made a mean coconut bully bake. Like any self-respecting West Indian woman, she displayed a wide array of facial expressions, and brandished West Indian wisdoms suitable for every occasion: “I will give you a pail of milk then turn around and kick it down;” “You never miss the water ‘til the well run dry,” and “One day, one day, congote.”
On July 23, 2015, Irene Hannibal was called home at 5:14am, and was surrounded by love, peace, and prayers when she left this earth. Irene was preceded in death by her brother, Dykes, sister, Elsa, father, Ira, and mother, Jessie. Honoring and preserving her precious memories are her selfless caregiver and cherished son-in-law, Bernard, and her beloved children, Michael (Trevor), Rita, Sandra, Derek, Eileen, Colin and Jessie; 18 grandchildren, including Michael, Zelda, Marlon, Ricky, Kelly, Molly, Terry, Kurt, Shane, Kareem, Ariel, Colin Jr., Dwight, Jason, Cherylyn, Cassidy, Anika, and Brandon; 12 great-grandchildren, and a host of extended family and friends in the U.S., Grenada, Trinidad, England, and Canada whom she loved dearly.
Irene Calliste Hannibal was the world’s greatest mom. She will be sorely missed.
God saw you getting tired,
When a cure was not to be.
So He wrapped his arms around you,
and whispered, "come to me."
You didn't deserve what you went through,
So He gave you rest.
God's garden must be beautiful,
He only takes the best.
And when I saw you sleeping,
So peaceful and free from pain
I could not wish you back
To suffer that again.
- Frances and Kathleen Coelho
[32767]
Family/Friend Info:
Contact:
Michael Passee (Mikey)
Location:
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
My heartfelt sympathy to the Calliste family on the passing of Ms Irene Hannibal. miss Calliste as we called her, was our neighbour for a short while.As she passes by, she had a smile and hi for everyone she met. To the family again, may you find peace and strength in the beautiful memories you cherish of her.May she continue to rest in peaace.
SONIA LEWIS BROOKLYN , NEW YORK [8/10/2015]
To all the children, may you find comfort during your time of sorrow. Cousin Irene will be greatly missed for her unique sense of humour and her red lipstick.
IRVA TORONTO, ONTARIO [7/31/2015]
Sincere condolences to Trevor,Rita,Sandra,Eileen,Derek,Colin&Jessie. We'll miss cousin Irene,she was love by everyone.
CINDY & MICKEY CALLISTE BROOKLYN,NY [7/30/2015]
Oh what a glorious day! You are no longer in pain mom and you were called home to be with our Lord and Savior after HE determined that you accomplished your purpose here on earth! We will miss you mommie! Oh only the Lord knows how we would miss you! Oh mom! Oh mom! How I miss you already! No words can express the depth of my love for you mom! See you in Heaven one day!
SANDRA CALLISTE MARYLAND, USA [7/30/2015]
my heartfelt sympathy to all the children cousin Irene you were wonderful back in Grendada may you rest in peace
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