Former wife of Sir James passes

Patricia Mae Mitchell, the ex-wife of former prime minister Sir James Mitchell, and mother of Sabrina, Gretel and Louise, passed away at her home in Belmont, Bequia on December 1, 2015, after a short, but difficult fight with cancer.

Pat, as she was known to her friends, was a pioneer who married James Mitchell in London, UK, before ever having set foot on St Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}} She journeyed with him on the banana boat to St Vincent in 1966, when he returned to his homeland to begin a life in politics, which she then made her own.

She founded the Frangipani Hotel and in later years the Gingerbread Hotel. She ran both businesses successfully.

She was a founding member of the Bequia Sailing Club, which started the Bequia Easter Regatta. She was a founding member of the Bequia Heritage Foundation, which built the museum on Bequia. She is author of the book “Bequia Sweet Sweet.”

Until the day when she fell ill, she was the managing director of the Gingerbread Hotel, and worked seven days a week. Pat is originally from Canada, and is the daughter of Doris and Clayton Parker. She has six grandchildren, namely Ila, Tai, James, Nile, Ella and Ondine and a loyal staff at Gingerbread Hotel and former staff at the Frangipani who all mourn her loss.

Her funeral will be at the Bequia Anglican Church at 2 p.m. on Saturday December 12, 2015.