Church service May 13 at Way Of The Cross Baptist Church, 23 B Work & Rest, Christiansted, St. Croix. Viewing at 9:30 a.m. Church service at 10:30
Maria E. Pinder
She was preceded in death by her husband John I Pinder
Daughters: Eleanor Johnson, Sheron Ramdhanny(deceased), Rena Brodhurst and Lillian Pinder
Sons: Raphael James and Dale Gibbs(deceased)
Son In Law: Harold Johnson(deceased)
Surviving siblings: Dorothy Vivican, Myrtle Daniel and Roy Thomas
Grandchildren: John Ramdhanny Jr., Harold Johnson Jr., Maria Ramdhanny, Dwayne Renny
Ramdhanny(deceased), Britney Hall and Lasiba Knight
Great Grandchildren: Danielle Bryant, Dwayne Anthony Ramdhanny, Kimani Johnson, Tyanna Johnson, Kelisha Johnson, King Tipton, John Ramdhanny III, Jenai Johnson, Aaydin Johnson, Braxton Hall and Maxine Knight
Great Great Grandchildren: Phillip Bryant, Dwayne Ramdhanny III, and Preston Bryant
Her siblings that preceded her in death were Fred, Mary, Edith, Edwin, Alfonso, Christian and Peter
Her siblings’ children are Hazel, Pearl, Fred, Edith, Emelda, Leila, Joy, George, Angela, William, Alfred, David, Veronica, Roberta, Peter, Evelyn and Lawrence.
Niece In Law: Hazel Coulter
Devoted Godchildren: Henry Derricks Jr. and Kira Francis
Adopted Children: Norman (Chi Chi) Gibbs (deceased), Timothy Heidmann, Karina Phillip and Deanna Williams
Other family and friends too numerous to mention.
Special thanks to Deanna Williams, Primary Care, PLLC and staff and Continuum Care of St. Croix and staff.
The viewing will be held at Way Of The Cross Baptist church 23 B Work & Rest on May 13th from 9.30 a.m. -10:30 a.m.
The service will commence at 10:30 a.m. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Divine Funeral Home.
USVI Cup 1 & 2 are back in St. Croix, as part of the Caribbean Cup Tennis Series. The two consecutive ITF Junior tournaments are scheduled to take place between May 5 to 9 and May 12 to 16 at the landmark Buccaneer Hotel in Christiansted.
Tennis’ USVI Cup
For the next two weeks, St Croix will be home to players from around the world, including France, China, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, Italy, Canada, the U.S. and more.
The tournament is an opportunity to continue developing tennis in the U.S. Virgin Islands, with several local players competing alongside peers from around the world. For international players, families and coaches, in addition to tennis, this is also an opportunity to discover the local culture, lifestyle and tranquil beaches of St. Croix.
Among the players joining this week, London Evans (U.S.) comes off an amazing performance at the J30 ITF in Barbados, where she was crowned champion. On the boys draw, USVI native, Yared Alfred is back playing his home tournament as the number three seed.
The tournament offers a packed schedule, starting at 9 a.m. daily, with finals for both boys and girls singles and doubles on Thursday/Friday of each week (finals times TBD).
Tournament organizers estimate more than 200 players, coaches and parents will be on the island during the two-week period.
For further information, please contact tournament director, Andrei Alexe at:
Tel: 647-406-4589
Email: aalexe85@gmail.com
Tournament location: The Buccaneer Hotel, 5007 Estate, Christiansted
It is with profound sadness that the family announces the passing of Attorney Leonard Bernard Francis, Jr., on April 23, 2025. Known affectionately as “Cocky”, Atty. Francis was a man of intellect and unwavering moral conviction. He dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice and service to others.
Leonard Francis Jr.
He leaves a legacy through his sons, Nyere Francis, Sr., Dr. Kenny Hendrickson; daughters, Dr. Kula Francis Hendrickson, Donnica Williams; Grandsons, Nyere Francis, Jr., Tyereeq Perez; Granddaughters, Madison Francis, Knala Hendrickson; Great-grandchildren, Nyea and Nyel Francis, Logan Industrious; Sisters, Eleanor Turner Thomson, Karen Turner, Joyce Francis Edwards, and Faye Francis-Jenkins; Brothers, Alfred A. Turner, Clayton Francis; Sisters-In-Law, Rodrene Turner, Donna Cisse, Valorie Lynch, and Linda Phillips Prentis; Brothers-In-Law, Derrick Jenkins and Rupert Roberts, Jr., Nieces, Cheryl Thomson, Linette Thomas-Tyler, Juliette Smith; Charmaine Venzen, Norma Parsons, Shawna L., Kishma S., Chenelle, Melissa, and Jasmine Francis, Nichole Jenkins; Nephews, Luis Rosario, Walter and Michael Thomson, Jermaine John, Michael Jenkins, Jamal, Xavier, and Randolph Francis; Cousins, Glenroy Smith, Bastanio David, III, Lauritz David, Cheryl Hermon, Glenora, Glenda, Linda, and Glencia Joseph, Coreen Rodgers-Reed, John Trotman, Jr., Morales Trotman, Glenn, Desiree, Lucita, and Sonell Francis, Emile Francis, Jr., Laurie L. Francis-Venzen, Ray, Duane, Delma Laverne, Emmett, and Roy Francis, Isa and Diane Shachove, Martha Luis, Other family including The Benjamin, Hermon, Francis, Monsanto, Birch, Mulraine, Trotman, DeCastro, Donadelle, and Vessup Families, Special Friends, Linton and Marilyn Rabsatt, Clarence “Plow” White, Atty. Stylish Willis, Tyel Lawrence, Franklin Connor, Wayne Hodge, John Prevost, Alberto “Junie” King, Dennis Frett, Daylight Bakery Crew, 3MJV Auto Sales, and other family and friends, too numerous to mention.
The viewing is scheduled for Friday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., at New Herrnhut Moravian Church. A service will follow immediately at 10 a.m. Interment will take place at Francis Cemetery in Smith Bay.
Tributes may be sent to: francistributes@gmail.com. Flowers and wreaths may be sent to Dan Hurley Home for Funerals.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Dan Hurley Home for Funerals and Cremation Centers of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. For online condolences or to share a special memory, visit www.hurleydavisfuneralhome.com
The Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority will host a Pre-Hurricane Residential White Goods and Bulk Waste Clean-up on St. Thomas on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 15, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Residents are invited to bring bulk waste items such as furniture, mattresses, carpets, grills, and other bulky items, as well as white goods such as stoves, dryers, washing machines, refrigerators, water heaters, and other appliances to the Cancryn and Nazareth Bin Sites and the Mandahl Convenience Center.
Commercial waste, construction debris, electronic devices, fats, green waste, and used motor/cooking oil are not permitted at the bin sites; they need to be disposed of at the landfills and transfer station.
VIWMA thanks the community in advance for their participation.
For more information, contact Ms. Stevens at 340-473-0246 or email communications@viwma.org.
Two men were killed and another wounded in separate shootings on St. Thomas over the Carnival weekend, jolting the community and forcing an early shutdown of the season’s final celebration. The killings – one on Saturday night and the other late Sunday – are being investigated separately by the Virgin Islands Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit.
The most recent shooting occurred late Sunday. Around 11:49 p.m., the VIPD’s Shot Spotter system detected multiple gunshots in the Fort Pladsen area of Charlotte Amalie, near the Village grounds. At the same time, a 911 call came in reporting that two men had been shot and needed immediate medical help.
Officers responding to the scene found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds. One was rushed to Schneider Regional Medical Center. The other, who had no signs of life, was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:59 p.m. by emergency medical technicians.
Police have not yet released the deceased man’s name, pending notification of next of kin. The case remains under investigation, and no arrests have been made.
This death marks the fifth homicide on St. Thomas and the 12th in the territory, according to the Source Homicide List.*
Just 24 hours earlier, on Saturday night, May 3, gunfire erupted inside the Carnival Village, forcing a premature end to the weekend’s final festivities.
VIPD officers were called to the Fort Christian Parking Lot, where they found a man unresponsive near the restroom walkway. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim was later identified as 26-year-old Franky Matthew.
The Carnival Village was promptly shut down at 12:15 a.m. Sunday, canceling the remainder of the night’s performances. Police have not released details on a motive or suspect.
VIPD’s Major Crimes Unit is actively investigating both cases and urging anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be submitted to the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-714-9823 or 340-714-9829, to VIPD directly at 340-774-2211, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers USVI at 800-222-TIPS.
*The Source Homicide List is a chronological log of the homicides recorded in 2025 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as reported by the VIPD. Cases are broken down by island. While this listing is based on VIPD reports, the Source does not include suicides or vehicular homicides in its listing, which the police and some other media do. This can lead to a discrepancy in the number of incidents reported.
On May 3, Virgin Islands Sports Ambassador Michelle Smith showcased her exceptional talent by securing second place in the 400m hurdles at the LSU Invitational held at Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Smith, representing the University of Georgia, completed the race in an impressive time of 54.62 seconds The event was fiercely competitive, with professional athlete and Olympian Anna Cockrell taking the first place with a time of 53.84 seconds.
Nicola Peters (Submitted photo)
Smith’s performance was very commendable, as she managed to put down a qualifying mark for the World Athletic Championship for a second time as a freshman at the University of Georgia. This achievement underscores her exceptional talent.
Michelle Smith is set to compete next at the SEC Championship in Lexington Kentucky from May 15 – 17.
On May 3, Virgin Islands Track and Field member Mikaela Smith delivered an outstanding performance at the East Coast Relays held in Jacksonville, Florida. Competing in the 800m event, Smith finished second in her heat, clocking a personal best time of 2:08.09.
Virgin Islands Track and Field Team member Nicola Peters, a freshman sprinter at Jacksonville State University, competed in the 2025 Outdoor Music City Challenge held at the VanderBilt Outdoor Track in Nashville Tennessee. Peters competed in the 100m, 200m and 4×100 relay.
Michelle Smith (Submitted photo)
In the 100m preliminaries, Peters secured a 5th place finish with a time of 12.05 seconds, which qualified her for the finals. In the final she finished 8th with a time of 12.21 seconds. In the 200m event, Peters achieved 3rd place in her heat with a time of 24.91 seconds. Additionally, Peters anchored the Jacksonville State University 4x100m relay team, helping them to a 5th place finish with a time of 47.46 seconds.
Virgin Islands Track and Field Team member Sofia Swindell, a senior at The Lawrenceville School, competed on May 3, at the Puma East Coast International Showcase 2025 in Baltimore, MD. Swindell competed in the preliminary rounds of the 100m Hurdles where she won her heat in 13.96 to advance to the final. In the final of the 100m Hurdles Swindell ran a huge personal record of 13.90. Swindell also competed in the 200m where she finished 6th in her heat with a time of 24.69.
Virgin Islands Track and Field Team member Malique Smith competed in the UCF Knights Invite held in Orlando, Florida. .
In the 400m hurdles, Smith finished 3rd with a commendable time of 51.71 seconds. Smith also competed in the 400m, where he finished 5th in his heat with a time of 48.81 seconds.
Author, educator, and art historian Maria Ausherman will launch her much-anticipated Virgin Islands book tour and presentation of her new release, Painters in Paradise: Exploring the Caribbean Islands, on Friday, May 9 at 4 p.m. at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in St. Croix.
The book tour continues Saturday, May 10 at 4 p.m. at Bajo El Sol Gallery in St. John, and on Monday, May 12 at 1 p.m. at the St. Thomas Historical Trust in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.
Painters in Paradise: Exploring the Caribbean Islands by Maria Ausherman
With over fifty color reproductions of paintings, drawings, and maps, Painters in Paradise celebrates both native Caribbean artists—such as Camille Pissarro (DWI), Francisco Oller (PR), and Michel-Jean Cazabon (TT)—and renowned American artists like Frederic Edwin Church and Winslow Homer, who captured the essence of the Caribbean during their travels. Ausherman’s engaging presentation will explore the artists’ lives, their creative inspirations, and the cultural legacy they left behind.
Maria Ausherman has a deep-rooted personal connection to the Virgin Islands. In the 1980s, she interned with the Virgin Islands Planning Office, assisting with an inventory of historic sites on St. John outside the bounds of the Virgin Islands National Park. Her family history is also interwoven with the region—her mother, Maria Isabel Lima Ausherman, was born in Puerto Rico, raised in St. Thomas, and taught mathematics there for many years.
“My motivation to write this book is to honor my mother most of all,” says Ausherman. “And to express my love to her, my family, and to the land I got to know so well.” Reflecting on her childhood memories, she recalls her grandfather’s farm in Bovoni, adventures in the pastures of Harthman’s farm, and the inspiration she found in the landscapes that echo through the paintings of Camille Pissarro.
Ausherman is an independent scholar with a BA in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MA in Cinema Studies from CUNY, and an MEd in Social Science Education from the University of Georgia. Her previous works include Masters of Shape: The Lives and Art of American Women Sculptors, Behind the Camera: American Women Photographers Who Shaped How We See the World, and The Photographic Legacy of Frances Benjamin Johnston. She also co-authored Georgia O’Keeffe’s Hawaii with Patricia Jennings.
This event series is a unique opportunity for art lovers, historians, and Caribbean enthusiasts to delve into the vibrant artistic history of the region and engage with a deeply personal narrative of heritage and creativity.
It’s Carnival, baby! Check out Food Fair and the St. Thomas Carnival Children’s Parade, plus get last week’s top headlines from your host Adisha Penn. There’s always something new on Consider the Source!
Molly Morris in the window of her Frenchtown home. (Photo courtesy Barbara Young)
Molly Morris was a gleeful and gifted storyteller. What made her a respected journalist was that she also possessed a most unique gift. Molly was a first-rate listener.
Ask anyone whose story she ever wrote.
Before you begin your query, make sure you have a month or two to spare. In her decade and a half with the Virgin Islands Source, she recounted hundreds, if not thousands of community tales, while also covering the V.I. Legislature, where she was so well loved and respected, most of the senators assumed she was the founder of the Source. But what is really important is they trusted her. Never once in all the years she covered government did anyone ever accuse her of misquoting them or any kind of bias or conflict of interest.
Hal Hatfield, whose eulogy Molly penned for the Source, was her mentor.
I had known Molly for about 15 years before I founded the Source.
I do not know for sure if it had always been her dream to be a journalist, but I suspect so. Before her words became part of the Source’s daily news stories, she had verbalized many, many times that she had been a “copy boy” for the San Francisco Call-Bulletin.
So, very soon after founding the first and only nonaffiliated newspaper of general circulation in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the balls I was juggling began to hit me in the head, recalling Molly’s background I asked her to lunch.
At first, I simply wondered if she would be willing to write a few “fluff” pieces to augment the press releases that, in the beginning, comprised the bulk of our content. It went something like this:
“Would you consider doing some stories for the Source,” I asked, pleading into her beautiful, clear, blue eyes. “I can pay you in phone cards,” I offered.
“Yes,” she said. I handed her the entire pack I had received as payment for an advertisement.
Little did I know what she was truly capable of.
Shaun Pennington and Molly Morris reviewing their notes. (Source file photo)
By the time the Source was in its fifth year and three years after he had left St. Thomas for good, Molly Morris had followed in Hatfield’s footsteps to become the foremost territorial expert on government issues. She worked tirelessly — often with little reward — always without complaint — to make the Source what it is today. She was an integral part of the foundation.
She was also a Frenchtown fixture, living for “donkey years,” with her husband Dan Stecher, who preceded her in death, also on Easter weekend, in March 2016.
Molly loved Frenchtown. It seems it was the community she longed for as a child.
Before settling into the two-room cottage where she and Dan lived together for more than 40 years, Molly had endured a rollicking, to hear her tell it, more likely rocky, childhood spent between California, Washington state and Alaska and back again.
She would regale her friends with humorous stories (that probably weren’t that funny in the actual living of them) about being shuttled from a one room school house in the Last Frontier which she reached by dog sled back to a boarding school north of San Francisco that burned down (she swore she had nothing to do with it) and on to a foster aunt in Washington state.
And who can forget the pet beaver story, which in the absence of what could have been an award-winning memoir that we wish she had written, we offer here in her memory as recounted to her longtime friend Becky Luscz:
Molly: We were living in Alaska, which is one thing. And, Leonard Monsach, who was a trapper, had found this little beaver on the trap line. We lived in Magrath, Alaska, in the interior, in the McKinley range. It was really remote. And it was on the Kuskokwim River.
Becky: Did your mother know what to feed him?
Molly: No, they didn’t have Google at the time, so she just fed him baby food. So Skeezix became part of our family. And he became the light of my mother’s life, and of course, I was jealous of him. He was a wonderful little animal. He didn’t like me especially. He wasn’t cuddly. He just kind of went his own way. We had the roadhouse, and there was a kitchen and dining room. It was a regular roadhouse, with a long log table. Skeezix had his own way around there. When we would wake up in the morning, my stepfather would get so mad, because Skeezix was a beaver, and he built things. He would build things in the doorway every night. He would use anything that was handy – like a table leg – any piece of wood. And he would just erect himself a little dam. Skeezix was very funny. And he never complained about not being near the water; but he still needed to build dams. He never asked, ‘where is my water.’ We had him for several years. My mother eventually brought him to Seattle and gave him to the Woodland Zoo. And then, she moved down to San Francisco, and left him there. She would go up to see him. Skeezix died of a broken heart – he really did.
Sometime after attending journalism school at San Francisco State and her stint with the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, Molly made her way to the Virgin Islands with her then-boyfriend. The boyfriend didn’t last long, but Molly made her home on St. Thomas for 60 years. About as far away from the cold and dark days of the Northwest as she could get.
One of her first jobs was as the operations manager for Antilles Airboats, which she loved to report was owned at the time by movie star Maureen O’Hara and O’Hara’s founder husband, Charles “Charlie” Blair.
Molly had so very many stories.
It is fitting that her final trip originated from the little wooden cottage she called home, where she and Dan lived together until his death and where she insisted she would die. She was also stubborn in the way of those who know themselves.
Molly died Saturday in her own bed with two of her loving community “sisters” holding and soothing her tired body as their 92-year-old friend and neighbor was whispered away on the gentle tropical breeze.
The celebration of life will be at Hurley Funeral Home on Saturday, May 17, 2025, from
9 am to 11 am. Bright attire is appropriate, in keeping with Molly’s colorful life and spirit.
Author’s note: Becky Luscz and Elizabeth Sheen contributed to this story.
“This month — and every month — I choose to speak up, not in bitterness, but in hope. Because if even one person sees this and feels less alone, then my story is worth telling.” (Source photo by Michele L Weichman)
I have lived with mental illness for as long as I can remember, though I didn’t have the words to describe it when I was a child. I just knew I felt things more deeply than others, that my thoughts often looped in endless patterns I couldn’t shut off, and that I moved between states of hyper-enthusiasm and exhaustion that made everyday life unpredictable. But it wasn’t until I got clean and sober at the age of 30 that I finally received an official diagnosis: bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
That moment, though painful, was a turning point. It gave a name to what I had been living with for decades, silently and often in shame. But before I found understanding, I endured years of confusion, emotional upheaval, and, at times, despair.
Growing up in the 1980s, mental illness was barely acknowledged, let alone discussed. The idea that a child could have a legitimate psychiatric condition was foreign, and I was often labeled as overly sensitive, dramatic, or simply “too much.” My mother was a single parent doing the best she could, but like many families at that time, she didn’t have the tools or language to understand what was really going on. There was no access to therapy, no school counselor with mental health training, no safe space to say, “I’m not okay.”
I share this now because May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and stories like mine still happen far too often. While we’ve made progress in destigmatizing mental illness, we have a long way to go — especially when it comes to institutional accountability and societal empathy.
I was most recently reminded of this when I faced discrimination at my last place of employment — an educational institution that claimed to stand for equity and inclusivity. After being hospitalized due to a medication crisis — an overdose caused by being overmedicated by a former psychiatrist — I became the target of rumors and harmful speculation. Even though I had never experienced an episode at work, people whispered that I was “unhinged.” Their words, fueled by ignorance and fear, spread quickly across the island. The toxic environment forced me to resign, not because I couldn’t do my job, but because I was no longer safe there.
The trauma of that experience still lingers. It’s a betrayal that cuts deep, especially because I have never hidden my mental health conditions. I’ve always been open, not because I owe anyone an explanation, but because I believe there is strength in vulnerability. I speak openly in the hope that others who are struggling will see themselves in my story and know that they are not alone.
Mental illness is not a moral failing. It is not a lack of willpower or a character flaw. It is a health condition, just like cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. The difference is that it’s invisible, and because of that, it’s often misunderstood or dismissed. We don’t tell someone with a broken leg to just “walk it off,” but we still tell people with depression to “cheer up” or those with anxiety to “relax.” We need to stop.
Bipolar disorder and OCD have certainly challenged me, but they have also shaped me in powerful ways. They’ve given me empathy, insight, creativity, and resilience. I know how to rebuild myself. I know how to sit with people in pain. And I know how to fight for those whose voices are often silenced or ignored.
To those who may be reading this with discomfort, confusion, or even skepticism, I urge you: educate yourself. Ask questions. Be willing to learn. And most importantly, listen. Mental illness is far more common than you think. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness each year. That means someone you love — maybe even you — knows exactly what I’m talking about.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s do more than just post a graphic or wear a ribbon. Let’s check in on our friends — the ones who seem to be struggling and especially the ones who seem “fine.” Because often, those of us who appear the strongest are the ones hiding the most pain. We become experts at masking because we’ve learned that being open can come with harsh consequences.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
I dream of a world where people with mental illness are treated with compassion, not suspicion. Where we don’t have to choose between our health and our careers. Where institutions live up to their values and create truly inclusive spaces. Where a person like me doesn’t have to resign to protect her dignity.
We are not broken. We are not “crazy.” We are human beings living with an illness. And like anyone else, we deserve love, dignity, safety, and respect.
This month — and every month — I choose to speak up, not in bitterness, but in hope. Because if even one person sees this and feels less alone, then my story is worth telling.
Let’s end the stigma. Let’s lead with empathy. And let’s remind each other that mental health is health.
— Michele L Weichman is a longtime St. Thomas resident, business owner, educator, writer, advocacy worker, mentor and the main editor for the Source.
Editor’s Note: Opinion articles do not represent the views of the Virgin Islands Source newsroom and are the sole expressed opinion of the writer. Submissions can be made to visource@gmail.com.
