Nevis mourns Shirlene Stanley’s passing
Gingerland Secondary School community in grief
By Pauline Waruguru
Nevis Reporter-SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Left~~CHARLESTOWN, Nevis - NEVISIANS woke up yesterday morning to mourn the loss of Shirlene Evelyn, wife of prominent businessman Edric Stanley and teacher of Gingerland Secondary School (GSS), who died at the Alexandra Hospital.
Students and teachers at the GSS went into a shock and many expressed sad emotions when they received word of Stanley’s death, and were given time off from midday yesterday to this morning.
Shirlene and Edric Stanley are parents to Kylon who is a form three student at GSS and Javier, an “A” level student at the Charlestown Secondary School (CSS).
According to the GSS Principal, Dawn Jeffers, due to a health condition, Mrs. Stanley had been on sick leave last week and part of this week. Jeffers stated that while on her way to take a boat to attend a meeting in St. Kitts, she learnt of her staff’s death, cancelled the trip and hurried to the school.
As family and relatives and friends kept vigil at Stanley’s residence in Church Ground, the Department of Education acted swiftly and sent Guidance and Counselling teachers from schools on Nevis to counsel the students, while Jeffers invited three ministers of the Gospel to do the same.
Dr. Melvon Swanston, who is the schools’ psychologist in Nevis, told SKNVibes that a many students were in a state of shock when they reported to school yesterday morning. “They were in disbelief. Some expressed anger and some were very confused and concerned as to what transpired,” Swanston said.
“Most were comforted after being reminded this morning that God is in control. He gives and takes life,” Swanston said in aninterview yesterday. He said the child who drowned recently in a swimming pool was related to Shirlene and reminded that her husband had faced a tragedy not long ago when he was hospitalised after suffering from gunshot injuries.
On May 30, 2007, Edric Stanley was shot several times and sustained serious injuries. He was warded in the Alexandra Hospital and also had to seek further medical treatment in Trinidad.
He said it was important that those who keep in contact with the bereaved family are sensitive. “The way Stanley copes with this will depend on his history of being able to cope with trauma in the past. It is anticipated that he and the children will go through this in stages,” Swanston said.
“The first stage is always that of shock, then there is a period of denial and a stage when one eventually accepts what has taken place,” Swanston noted. “His children will go through it too in different stages but they will adjust at the end. They will model the behaviour of their father, and he is known to be resilient and optimistic about life. It will be a temporary setback for the family, but they will go through it,” Swanston explained.
He called on mourners to respect Stanley and the children’s privacy during this time of bereavement, noting “they are trying to cope with the loss. In the passage of time, they will feel better”.
Meanwhile, Jeffers has sent sincere condolences to Edric Stanley, Javier, Kylon and the family and relatives of Shirlene Stanley, and noted that she was a friend and a colleague who worked hard.
“On behalf of the Gingerland Secondary School, the staff of which she was an integral and vital part, and the students who loved and respected her, I offer condolences and our support in this very difficult time,” the Principal said.
“Please be assured that we are praying for you and we are confident that God will take you through. Lean hard on Him, He will sustain you,” she added.
