The following is the eulogy presented at the homegoing service for Veronica Eloise Gordon presented by her son Dr Berkman O Gordon on Saturday January 6, 2018 at the Greendale United Church, Spanish Town, St Catherine.

Veronica Eloise Gordon, nee Manning, was born on May 13, 1928 in Linstead, St Catherine. She grew up in Roadside District, Mt Rosser, St Catherine, and was the first of four girls for her mother Louisa Clarise Thomas, a housekeeper and dressmaker, and father Eustace George Manning, a baker by trade.

As a young girl she was groomed to become a housekeeper like her mother, but was determined to become a teacher. She performed well at the Mt Rosser Elementary School, and passed the Jamaica Local Examinations. Encouraged by her principal and by her success at these exams, she became a probationary teacher at the school and was selected to do the probationer course at the Mico Teachers’ College under AJ Newman, who was the principal in 1953. She went on to complete her teacher training certificate at the Moneague Teachers’ College in 1961.

For over 45 years she gave outstanding and committed service to the Jamaican public education sector. She served in different schools in various parishes across the island; but for 31 of those years she was teacher, senior teacher and then vice-principal at the Maxfield Park Primary School in St Andrew. She retired in January 1985, but continued in post-retirement service in the special education programme at the school until 1995.

Veronica held a firm belief that all children can learn. Coupled with her passion for developing academically challenged learners, this belief drove her, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, to pursue special courses in Child Care and Development, Guidance & Counselling, and General Psychology at the College of Arts Science and Technology (CAST, now UTech), Mico Care Centre, United Theological College of the West Indies (UTCWI), and Extra Mural Department-UWI, respectively. These courses motivated her to establish and manage a formal Guidance & Counselling Programme for academically challenged and socially at-risk students at the Maxfield Park Primary School. As a result of the success of this programme, she was instrumental, through the Ministry of Education, in coordinating similar programmes at four other primary schools, namely, Duhaney Park Primary, Maverley Primary, Bridgeport Primary and Waterford Primary.

Like many Jamaicans of the day, Veronica was brought up as a part of the local church community. She attended the Wesleyan Church in Mt Rosser (which later became the Methodist Church), and made her own commitment to serve the Lord Jesus Christ at an early age. She continued to faithfully serve Him in all her professional, community or personal endeavours. After migrating to Kingston in the 1950s to pursue professional goals, she became a member of the Duke Street Christian Church (now Duke Street United Church) and served there until 1970 when her family moved to live in Greendale, Spanish Town. She then served as a member of the Greendale United Church (formerly Greendale Community Church) as chorister, prayer leader, elder, church synod representative, board member and board chair.

Veronica Gordon provided over 40 years of voluntary professional service to the Greendale Early Childhood Development Centre (formerly Basic School), beginning in 1971. She contributed significantly towards its administrative and organisational development, its infrastructural development though fund raising and sponsorships, and its human resource capacity development. She was part of a team that worked to enable it to become one of the first basic schools in Jamaica to achieve registration with the Ministry of Education as an early childhood development centre after the passing of the Early Childhood Act by parliament. The Greendale Early Childhood Development Centre named one of the Houses of the school “Gordon House” in honour of the contribution that she made.

On Heroes’ Day, Monday October 19, 2015, at the National Honours & Awards Ceremony, Veronica Gordon received the Badge of Honour for Long and Faithful Service to Education for over 45 years of service to education in Jamaica.

Veronica enjoyed over 63 years of marriage to Carlyle Ernest Benjamin Gordon, a businessman, who predeceased her on the 1st of May 2015. They had 7 children, the first of whom died as an infant. The other six are serving in various professional fields and are all committed to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. She had 10 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

In addition to being an avid reader, she enjoyed going to the theatre, watching movies, and trying her hand, quite successfully, at backyard gardening.

With Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – as one of her guiding scriptures, she was a tremendous influence for good in the lives of countless individuals.

In the wee hours of Sunday December 17, 2017, Veronica complained of shortness of breath and a pain in her chest. Not long afterwards, she passed away peacefully while lying in her bed awaiting an ambulance. She was pronounced dead at 3:30 am. She is now with her Father in Heaven.

TRIBUTE TO VERONICA ELOISE GORDON

Prepared by Trevor Rhoden (nephew)

(Resides in NY, USA)

Read by Michael “Colin” Harrison (nephew)

Aunt Vie went to sleep on 17 December 2017, but her spirit lives on.

Today I am deeply honoured to deliver my tribute to celebrate the life of someone who had a tremendous impact on my life and the lives of so many, as a mother, a wife, and an academic.

God gave me life, and Aunt Vie, you enriched that life.

Your impact was unique in that it spanned the most vital and critical periods of my life.

You helped in shaping my values, solidifying my faith in Christ, you taught me to respect my elders, my family, and the value of a good education and hard work.

As time passed by and I grew older, I began to see the fruits that hard work yields, and I benefited from watching your life and the life of Uncle Ernest, your husband, who has also passed on.

You epitomised the spirit of parenthood. What do I mean by this? It means that all good parents want their children to go farther, soar higher and achieve greater things than they ever did. That’s what you wanted for your children and the children you taught.

To you, her children – Berkman, Robbie, Hugh, Carlyle, Marie and Marva, I say you have delivered that wish. You have made your parents proud. The Gordon dynasty which your Dad wished for has been established.

The Bible teaches us that one’s success in life should not be measured by the abundance of things they possess, but by God’s measuring stick. Success to me is fulfilling the purpose which God placed us on this Earth to pursue. I believe with all my heart that your life was an epic success. When I look around, all I can see is success – your children, your grandchildren, and your family.

Aunt Vie, you have departed this life, but your legacy will live on. It lives on in the lives of so many, and it lives on right here in me. I will strive to be a better person each day, even if it won’t be because of anything I could ever have done on my own. It will be because of the grace of God and because of those like you who have impacted my life. Your departure will leave a void, but it will be filled by remembering the joy, the friendships shared, a laugh, a kiss – these will all be missed.

You lived a life that was full, a life with no regrets. Our tears will fall, and we can’t help but cry now that you are gone. We all love you, but God loves you more. He wanted you now. He has set you free. When you get to Heaven, please give Uncle Ernest a hug for me.

REST IN PEACE.