Cousin Patricia has joined her Niall, and the ancestors...

To Patricia and Niall's much loved, and faithful, loving, tribe...  

I cannot begin to imagine what devastation you must be feeling, even as you will surely be relieved for their valiant selves that suffering is no more.  Our hearts reach out to you with love and sorrow for your enormous loss, and our best to you, each and every moment.

Perhaps all of us feel that it is unsurprising that Patricia and Niall would not be long apart.  We thank them for the rich treasure of shared memories and laughter with which we were blessed during their sojourn here.

How to find the words that speak to Patricia's beauty?  Her courage, her wit, her common sense, her grit,  her gift for living, her tenacity, her ability to love abundantly, her lack of artifice, her joie de vivre, her dedication to family, her extensive knowledge of the Punnett story, her appreciation of others, her absence of self absorption...?

There are so many reasons to rue her departure from this Earth, but yet there is gratitude that her life was full; that she was cherished; surrounded by care and love to the end; and released to peace ever after.

Blessed be,

Lisbie x

...

Oh, I have made myself a tribe

out of my true affections,

and my tribe is scattered!

How shall the heart be reconciled

to its feast of losses?

In a rising wind

the manic dust of my friends,

those who fell along the way,

bitterly stings my face.

...

Stanley Kunitz, The Layers

“If not for reverence, if not for wonder, if not for love, why have we come here?” Raffi

Dearly Loved Family,

First came the news that Beautiful Cousin Sally Kirkwood Downs had left this Earth on Monday, June 10th in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

And then we learned that Cousin Patricia’s Beloved Niall McHugh had drawn his last breaths days later on Thursday, June 13th in Ireland.

I immediately resolved to post something to the blog, all the while holding a romantic image of us all as a human circle, embracing across the distance and time.  I wanted words filled with love and celebration and family and courage ~ an attempt to soothe and hold us close ~ which I never found a way to express that even approximated what I was feeling.  My ambition far exceeded my ability ~ in scope, and also in my desire for words that were not trite or meaningless. So much for those good intentions.

We Punnett descendants are separated and far-flung in ways that were not foreshadowed in our close-knit youth,  and we are often immersed in lives that put constraints on our ability to travel to each other. There are wonderful exceptions like Beej and Don who continue to make a point of gathering with family on different continents.  Mostly, celebrations and losses are marked in physical isolation from one another, but I believe that, in spirit, we rise above those divides, feeling abiding love and care for the joys and trials in each other’s lives.

“You can kiss your family and friends goodbye

and put miles between you,

but at the same time, you carry them with you

in your heart, your mind, your stomach

because you do not just live in a world.

A world lives in you.”

Frederick Buechner

Sally entered my life through a photograph of a radiant beauty on Granny’s shelf of family pictures in the morning room at Hope. Auntie Thelma's presence was felt in the Valley for decades after her time on Earth had ended, and she and her children were familiar through the displayed photographs and occasional news. Years later Sally came home to the Valley, but by then I was living off island. Thanks to communication technology, and her lovely Colleen, I actually came to have a few exchanges with her in recent times.

Colleen wrote that Sally was chatting and laughing with her carers minutes before she stopped breathing. What a cheerful thought to hang on to.

Niall, we have known for some half a century!  He and Patricia made of their lives together a sustained love story that bore wonderful fruit and triumphed over adversity.  Together they created a home that was welcoming, joyful, courageous, and fun… and brought inro being two generations of splendid young people ~ that’s what I always hear from people who know them!

“Niall leaves behind a life filled with beautiful memories,

stirring conversations, joy and endless love.“

taken from

https://rip.ie/death-notice/niall-joseph-henry-mchugh-wicklow-ashford-559354

There is a Condolence Book, open for messages until August 13.

https://rip.ie/death-notice/condolences/niall-joseph-henry-mchugh-wicklow-ashford-559354?page=1&records=60&sortFields=a.createdAt&sortDirection=DESC

I am sad that Sally and Niall are gone from us, sad that we are robbed of the chance to make more memories, but I celebrate that they made rich, enjoyable, good lives, and they leave us full of love and nuff respect.

The following is something I have long meant to put on the blog...

Late Fragment

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?

 I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself beloved, to feel myself

beloved on the Earth.

Raymond Carver – his epitaph

Big Love to you all. Thank you for You.
Lisbie x

400 years in the Caribbean ~ where can our stories be found?

Howdy Everyone,

Once again, it's been a long, long time since I posted.  But I have something to share that prompted me to action!  It's a call for family stories for which I have great hopes. 

Beej's daughter, Amanda Kelley-Goodhew, and her husband have been spending time in the homeland.  Roz's daughters Anne-Marie Wilkinson Bourne and Betty Wilkinson Cathrow and their husbands visited from Barbados to celebrate Betty and Amanda's birthdays.  It feels great to think of our younger peeps being drawn back to the Valley and to each other.  

The Wilkinson girls stayed at Rachael's enchanting Spirit of the Valley (check out this cool blog post https://www.suesalves.com/blog/draft-blog-post). 

Below is a photo of a gathering there, thoughtfully shared by Rachael.

But first, here is Amanda's wonderful proposal/invitation for us to start recording the social history of our family through personal stories and memories.  Let's do it, please.  Let our family not become 'erased without trace'.

One Love,  Lisbie x

Hello Family! My mother, Betty Jane Punnett, suggested years ago that we start writing down our stories. Whether they were stories about places, or people, or ourselves, didn't matter. She just wanted to hear from us. I have many stories - about my grandfather and visiting St. Vincent when I was younger - and yet, I don't think I sent anything. And I'm a writer! So, it's no surprise that she didn't get much response from others either.

I am writing this from St. Vincent, where my husband and I are spending 3 months. Our intention is to do this every year for the foreseeable future. Being here, seeing family and places that I haven't seen in years, has me hoping to resurrect my mothers project. Only, this time, I'm not asking you to do any writing!

For anyone who is interested, I would like to set up online meetings where we just chat. If you have a specific story that you want to share, we can talk about that. If you want to talk about your life, or you have more than one story that you want to share, we can do more than one meeting. This is a very flexible project. The only thing I want is to record the meetings, so that others can see them as well. 

My first meeting was with my mother and we did half an hour where she talked about her grandmothers and the Hope house. It was so much fun.

I don't know exactly what I'll do with the recordings, but one step at a time. If you are interested, email me at amanda.k.goodhew@outlook.com and we can talk about availability and your thoughts.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Amanda

as best as I can tell, and subject to correction...

Paul Bourne,  Beej's friend, Sherice (fiancée of James Punnett), Andrew Cathrow, Kristofer Abbott, Michelle, Sophie, Tipi, Paddy, Michelle's partner Lee, Kate  & daughter Naia, Lynden, Anne-Marie Bourne, Alexandra, Betty Cathrow, James, Rachael, Amanda & husband, Don, Beej, Brenda

May you ever be drenched in blessings!

As of today we have a John Vincent page of photos (see sidebar).  As always, I would love to add pics and information... so do send me whatever you can!

Now for some bits and pieces from our Caribbean... and one item of family news to bring up the rear....

The Origin of the Inflatable Man https://youtu.be/mF0vgERPxpA

Vanessa Layne (daughter of Lenore Sardine and Errol Layne) 

https://youtu.be/gh_bQRTGOg0

https://youtu.be/I_D2Iq5x1Cs

Vinci Joie Parris  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRPsDiSmems

THE BEATLES: PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED PHOTOS​ https://www.randyjohnsonart.com/the-beatles

Tristan and his Emily got engaged ~ April 28, 2023!

and bought a house in Manvel, Texas... 

and Tristan quite recently took up a new job with Monarc Global  

https://eglobaltravelmedia.com.au/2022/11/23/monarc-global-announces-new-president-for-its-u-s-expansion/

coNgratuLations

to
 Emily and Tristan, 
and may you enjoy every adventure 
in a wonderfully joyful Life!!!!!!!

X

 

“The song is ended, but the melody lingers on.” Irving Berlin

Ten years ago today, Desmond Punnett, only child of Florence "Pop" and Christopher "Kit" Punnett, joined the ancestors.  Helen, his wife, had gone on ahead seven years earlier.

Below the relevant family tree info and photos, is a selection of the paintings by his daughter, Mary.

Mary with Ebb Tide

Children of JAMES-ROBERT PUNNETT and MARY-CHARLOTTE DEARY are:

          i.        JAMES⁸ PUNNETT, d. died young.

          ii.       CHRIS PUNNETT, d. died young.

12.      iii.      LEWIS LESLIE PUNNETT, b. 1879; d. 1958.

13.   iv.    JOHN LANGLEY PUNNETT, b. April 3, 1881, St. Vincent, West Indies; d. October 7, 1950, St. Vincent, West Indies.

          v.       "MAYSIE" MARY BARBARA PUNNETT, b. September 30, 1882, Birth Cert. No. 8240. Parents resided at Mount Bentick; d. December 18, 1979, Cane Grove Estate, St. Vincent.

14.      vi.       ARNOLD MORGAN PUNNETT, b. September 5, 1884, Bellevue Estate, St Vincent; d. February 1969, Diamond Estate, St. Vincent.

15.      vii.      "KIT" CRISTOPHER YOUNG PUNNETT, b. 1886, St. Vincent; d. October 19, 1939.

16.      viii.     GLADYS PUNNETT, b. 1888, St. Vincent; d. 1955, St. Vincent.

17.      ix.      JAMES DEARY PUNNETT, b. 1890; d. 1955.

"KIT" CRISTOPHER YOUNG⁸ PUNNETT (JAMES-ROBERT⁷, CHRISTOPHER⁶, CHRISTOPHER⁵, CHRISTOPHER⁴, CHRISTOPHER³, CHRISTOPHER², ROGER¹) was born 1886 in St. Vincent, and died October 19, 1939.  He married (1) FLORENCE ETHEL "POPS" MALLETT of Suffolk England who came to St. Vincent to work as a governess.  

         

Child of "KIT" PUNNETT and FLORENCE MALLETT is:

           i.        DESMOND⁹ PUNNETT, b. February 04, 1923.

         DESMOND⁹ PUNNETT ("KIT" CRISTOPHER YOUNG⁸, JAMES-ROBERT⁷, CHRISTOPHER⁶, CHRISTOPHER⁵, CHRISTOPHER⁴, CHRISTOPHER³, CHRISTOPHER², ROGER¹) was born Abt. 1920.  He married HELEN BOLAND, born Trinidad, daughter of Justice Frederick Boland, in Guyana (her father was judge there at the time) on April 25, 1951.

         

Children of DESMOND PUNNETT and HELEN are:

          i.        WINSTON PUNNETT¹⁰, b. 1952.

          ii.       MARY PUNNETT¹⁰, b. September 29, 1955. Married Patrick Nelstrop April 16, 2014 in Toronto

           iii.    DENYSE PUNNETT¹⁰  circa 1957, died young

from Mary: ~ “Several years after his (Kit’s) death, my grandmother and my dad moved to Trinidad.  It was there that my parents met.  They both worked at the Gordon Grant Company in Port-Of-Spain. My father worked in the shipping department, and my mum worked in the office."

Kit with sisters Gladys and Maisie

Desmond and Helen

Denyse, Mary, Winston Punnett

Mary

Mary and her husband, Patrick Nelstrop

Winston (in the middle)

Mary with Winston's daughter, Hannah

There was a photo of Winston's wife Helen, and his other daughter, Danielle, in the previous post

Helen and Desmond with Lisbie in Toronto 2000

Hello Everyone,
My name is Mary Punnett-Nelstrop.
I am Trinidadian born, but grew up in St.Vincent & the Grenadines; currently residing in Canada.
I use acrylics to create my works of art.
My paintings are quite colourful, and somewhat vibrant!
I also like painting Canadian scenes/landscapes.
Most of my inspiration comes from light and colours that portray my works of art.
My inspiration in painting "catch of the day" came from growing up on Villa beach. The fishermen would go out in their boats and cast their nets off shore a couple times a week. The sounds of the famous Conch shell being blown could be heard distinctively to let us know they were bringing in their catch of fish for the day as depicted in this painting.
Hope you enjoy my paintings!

Great Aunt Mary

Caribbean Conch Shell

Catch of the Day

Coco-Mo

Ebb Tide

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Smooth Sailing

Smooth Sailing (2)

Young Island

​“We do not owe each other artificial proximity 

because of our common family name.  

Love is what we share.  

And love does not dissipate across distance, 

falter through the passing of time.”

Sonny Brewer, The Poet of Tolstoy Park

LOve, love, LOVE...

Lisbie x

connecting

‘There are profound psychological links between 

people and the places which they live in and experience.’  

Edward Relph, ‘Place and Placelessness’ (1976)

screenshot of Buccament Bay from https://youtu.be/AuQZT3gmGnA - “This is Who We Are” by Keith Currency, Mentaliss and the New Starrz

 

Family, howdy!

Life has kept me away from focusing on the Punnett arrival in the Caribbean, but I fully intend to resume that historical thread.  

Because the silence has gone on too long, I thought I'd drop a post with bits 'n' pieces, and family photos (old and new), which recently came my way.  Regretfully, it's not a broad selection, but it's what I was able to access.

First, this note from Brenda...

"I was mentioning to Lynden about the lack of French names in the Punnett line and she commented that perhaps they purposely anglicized them not wanting the French association in those volatile times?"  

So, there's that to ponder.

 

Queensbury folk...

Brenda, young & beautiful

Malcolm, young & handsome, and inimitable

Aie, Rocky, Brenda, John, Denise ~ May 2022

Rachael, Brenda, Rocky, John, Denise ~ May 2022

India and Hamish Dunn ~ Rachael's brood ~ July 2022

India's graduation ~ with godfather, and with sister Freya~ 2022

Zen and middle son Aatlaz, Carnival 2022

 

https://caciquemagazine.com/magazines/issue-15 Page 17

 

 

Cousin Mary Punnett Nelstrop in Toronto

Mary is at a gathering of Bolands (her mother's people) in Toronto this summer.  She's in the white pantsuit.  Her brother Winston is in the pink shirt towards the back on the left.  Her sister-in-law Helen and her nieces Hannah and Danielle are also in the photo

 

 

Helen, Danielle, Mary 

 

My Sister Bunny (Catherine Serrao O'Brien) aka The Travelling Bunny is now in Iceland for the second time this year, having been on a Norwegian cruise, another cruise on the Danube and on the Rhine, a visit with Trini friends in Kauai.... and the year ain't done yet! 

Kauai ~ Bunny on left.  June 2022

Bunny and Dianne Maing.  Dianne's father and his siblings grew up across the wall from Mummy's childhood home on Frederick Street in Port of Spain.  It was an easy climb on the cherry tree to the Maing family home on Pembroke Street, and lifelong Friendships were forged there.  I often stayed with the Maings throughout my childhood visits to the doctor in Trinidad.  Mark also stayed with them on several occasions.

July 2022

I love this photo of my Bro, Stephen Mark Langley, with two generations of his descendants

Bella, Matthew, Sophia, Noah, and Mark

 

Kim with Noah, Sophia, Bella and Aaron (Claire and Ron's son) ~ 2021

 

Aaron, 4 years old ~ 2022

 

 

Paige, Gemma's daughter

 

Closing with a  sweet Trini poem, and  a treasured table runner made by Cousin Maureen Kirkwood. 

 

  Sending love to all. May every one of you be well and happy.

 

Lisbie X

Mango Juice

 

Trinidad is…

 

The green cat’s eye

of the last marble left

from the two bulging pockets

that I win from my schoolfriend

Junior.  As I slam his last

remaining marble

from the chalk circle

with a running start

he kicks me in the balls.

and all my mother’s friends

visit asking me if my balls

are feeling any better?

 

Trinidad is…

 

The bead of sticky mango juice

running down my bony wrists.

And it’s the Indian girl next door

who wears the same two dresses

all year round.  She gives me a ripe

mango plumped to sweetness

once a week.  She never talks

she just gives me the mango

and sits in the yard

with a goofy smile watching

me as I eat it, and then she leaves.

If she’s trying to get me

to like her I can tell you right

now it’s working.

 

Trinidad is…

The first drop of warm rain

of the wet season.

And all the young kids run

out into the street

in their Jockey shorts

with a bar of soap

for a rain bath.

 

It’s nights so long

you feel you could reach up

and pluck the diamante stars

from the black velvet sky.

It’s where I was, where I am

and where I’m going.

It’s the knot in my throat

when I have to leave.

Roger Robinson