Eulogy for the late Louise Adina Toney

delivered by Omari Seitu Williams (Nephew)

It was in one year into the 2nd World War when Louise Adina Toney was born on the 24th June 1940. Her father Cecil Dick came out of Dickson Village, Georgetown, and her mother, Una Dick nee King, came from the lovely island of Canouan.

Tantie Louise was the third of 12 children and my grandmother (Una Dick) had three sets of twins but the only child who survived is Agnes Dick. The Dick family name is well known through the late Archbishop of the Spiritual Baptist Faith Percival Dick, her uncle, and Manassah King of Canouan, and Stephenson King, former Prime Minister of St Lucia, her first cousins. Tantie Louise like many children of parents who had to struggle to make it through life and living with dignity and respect faced many challenges.

Her early education started at Ms Laborde’s pre-school, she then attended the Kingstown Anglican School and then the Richmond Hill Government School. She wrote the school leaving examination at Class 6 and was successful. It was a time when Secondary School was not available for most working class Vincentians and it was relatively expensive to pursue. Like many young persons who did the school leaving examinations she was able to get into the teaching profession.

Her first teaching assignment was at the Dorsetshire Hill Government School. She worked her way up through the grades and attended the St Vincent Teacher’s College. Her teaching career spanned over 40 years; she taught at the Kingstown Preparatory School for over 30 years, she acted as Principal there for a short while before being promoted as Principal of the Richmond Hill Government School from which she retired. But teaching was in her blood and even after retirement she taught at the Windsor Primary School which was located at Kingstown Hill at the time close to her residence. After retiring from Windsor she continued to give lessons in the afternoons to a number of children, especially, those who were preparing for the Common Entrance Examination.

In fact, she was the person who carried the Searchlight newspaper’s Learning Page which guided children in preparation for the Common Entrance and Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) Examinations. Searchlight of July 30, 2021, under the caption “The Learning Page curator puts down her pen” had this to say “Many Vincentian professionals may know Louise Dick-Toney as their dedicated teacher at primary school or from her service in the St Vincent and the Grenadines Girl Guide Association. But very few are aware that the educator was the brain cranking out Mathematics, English Language and Science and Social Studies questions featured on Searchlight’s Learning Page every Friday during the school year, for the past 25 years”.

Louise Dick and Arthur Toney of Colonarie tied the knot in 1961 and lived at Frenches until Uncle Arthur’s death in 1971. They had no children but Tantie Louise’s life was that of a mother who mothered and fathered many nieces and nephews at Kingstown Hill. Not only did she care for her nieces and nephews but took great care of the children of many families from Canouan who attended Secondary School on mainland, St Vincent.

Tantie Louise played a very important role in the organization and development of the Girl Guides Movement for over 30 years. She served as District Commissioner for Kingstown, she represented the movement internationally in countries such as South Africa, Canada, Jamaica, and Kenya.

Tantie Louise was a member of the Anglican Communion in her early years but became a very staunch and dedicated member of the Streams of Power Church. Although, she had difficulties in terms of her mobility in later years to attend church she made sure that she did. She really loved her brothers and sisters of Streams of Power and we know that she is very grateful for their support and companionship.

Although Tantie Louise was confined to her bed over the last three weeks she was responsive and acknowledged the presence of those who visited her at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. Tantie Louise passed on to the great beyond just after 6:00 p.m. on August 30, 2023. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital for their care and assistance. The family would also like to thank all those who in one way or another expressed their support and sympathy to the family. We have lost the physical presence of a great woman but her spirit lives long. May her soul Rest In Peace.