Funeral Service for Verna A. Elcock nee Johnson
Mrs. Verna Elcock was laid to rest on April 10th, 2026. On behalf of The Bahamas YWCA, Rosalie Fawkes honored the veteran member in a newsletter issued in March 2026.
View the full funeral program here.
Her lifelong friend, Rosemary Hanna, gave the following tribute at a memorial service held on Tuesday April 8th, 2026.
TRIBUTE TO MY DEAR FRIEND VERNA JOHNSON ELCOCK
LOVE IS POSITIVE! MY DEAREST LIFELONG FRIEND, VERNA JOHNSON ELCOCK,
LIVED A POSITIVE LOVING LIFE.
VERNA AND I WERE VERY CLOSE FRIENDS FROM THE TIME WE WERE TODDLERS
UP TO THE TIME OF HER PASSING. WE PLAYED DOLL HOUSE TOGETHER AND
ATTENDED CHURCH HERE AT ST. AGNES ON SUNDAYS INCLUDING SUNDAY
SCHOOL AND MASS IN THE MORNINGS, SUNDAY SCHOOL AGAIN AT 4 PM AND
EVENSONG AT 7 PM. WE ALWAYS SAT OVER THERE ON THE NORTHERN SIDE OF
THE CHURCH AND TRIED TO OUTSING EACH OTHER, BUT SHE ALWAYS WON,
BECAUSE HER VOICE WAS BIGGER THAN MINE. WE WERE INVOLVED IN THE
GUILD UNDER SISTER THECLA MARY, AND ALL OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
ACTIVITIES. WE WERE ALSO MEMBERS OF THE ST. AGNES YOUNG PEOPLE’S
ASSOCIATION (AYPA) AND, OF COURSE WE BOTH SANG IN THE CHOIR FOR
MANY YEARS.
AT HIGH SCHOOL TIME VERNA WENT TO ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE AND I TO
GOVERNMENT HIGH SCHOOL, BUT THAT NEVER CHANGED OUR CLOSE
FRIENDSHIP. DURING THE 50s A FAIR NUMBER OF PARENTS IN OUR
NEIGHBOURHOOD SENT THEIR CHILDREN TO BOARDING SCHOOLS IN JAMAICA;
AND VERNA AND I BECAME SCHOOLMATES AT WESTWOOD HIGHT SCHOOL IN
STEWART TOWN, TRELAWNEY, WAY OUT IN THE COUNTRY HILLS.
FORTUNATELY FOR ME, THE LATE MERCIA STRAHAN WAS ALSO A STUDENT
AHEAD OF ME AND I RECALL HER TELLING ME AS WE DROVE ALONG THE
WINDING HILLS THAT WHEN WE PASSED A CERTAIN BEND, THE BUILDING ATOP
A HILL THAT LOOKED LIKE A HAUNTED HOUSE WAS WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
AND MY HEART SANK! MY FIRST TERM WAS TRAUMATIC, BUT VERNA CAME
SOON AFTER AND NO ONE COULD GET BETWEEN US…. WHAT A RELIEF THAT
WAS! OVERALL WESTWOOD WAS AN ENRICHIHNG EXPEREIENCE. VERNA
ENTERED THE ARTS FESTIVALS AND WON ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS; AND SHE
AND I WERE PART OF A SMALL GROUP OF SINGERS WHO SOMETIMES
PERFORMED AT CHURHES IN THE AREA.
VERNA WAS ALWAYS FRUGAL AND ABOVE ALL SELF DISCIPLINED (WHICH IS
MORE THAN I COULD SAY FOR MYSELF). AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL
TERM WE WERE ALLOWED TO BRING SPECIAL SNACKS TO OCCASIONALLY TREAT
OURSELVES. I CAN REMEMBER VERY CLEARLY THAT NEAR THE END OF ONE
TERM, AND LONG AFTER I HAD DEVOURED ALL OF MY TREATS, VERNA VERY
CASUALLY PULLED OUT A PACKAGE OF CUSTARD CREAM COOKIES AND I BEGAN
TO SALIVATE!! LISTEN!! THOSE COOKIES WERE MORE THAN A TREAT OUT IN THE
COUNTRY, AND VERNA VERY GRACIOUSLY SHARED THE PACKAGE WITH OUR
ROOM MATE AND ME.
UPON OUR RETURN HOME WE RESUMED ACTIVITIES AT CHURCH, JOINED THE
YWCA AND ALSO SANG IN THE Y CHORALE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF MS. ERNA
MASSIAH, WHO WAS A TEACHER FROM BARBADOS. IT WAS DURING THIS TIME
IN THE EARLY 60s WHEN THE CHORALE PRACTICED UP THE HILL AT WESTERN
SENIOR SCHOOL, THAT I NOTICED A YOUNG MAN HANGING AROUND AND
OCCASIONALLHY POKING HIS HEAD INTO THE CHOIR ROOM APPARNTLY
SERCHING FOR VERNA. IT TURNED OUT THAT HE WAS A POLICE OFFICER FROM
BARBADOS. I ASSUMED THAT MS. MASSIAH MUST HAVE GIVEN HER STAMP OF
APPROVAL AND THE ROMANCE BETWEEN FREDDIE ELCOCK AND VERNA
BLOSSOMED, RESULTING IN THEIR MARRIAGE ON HER BIRTHDAY ON 26 TH
AUGUST 1965. THEY HAD A LOVELY WEDDING RECEPTION IN THE GARDENS OF
THE ROYAL VICTORIA HOTEL, WHICH WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT MOST OF US
SAW THE INSIDE OF THAT PLACE.
A FEW YEARS LATER VERNA AND FREDDIE’S PERCIOUS GEM AND ONLY
DAUGHTER, AVRIL, CAME ALONG AND I WAS HAPPY TO STAND AS HER
GODMOTHER. THANK GOD THAT AVRIL GREW TO EXPERIENCE LOVE,
MARRIAGE, AND COMPANIONSIOP, WITH RANDY MAJOR. IT WAS A TERRIBLE
BLOW WHEN FREDDIE PASSED; AND WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS THE GRIEF WE
ALL FELT AT AVRIL’S SUDDEN PASSING. BUT GOD WAS IN CONTROL AND
BROUGHT VERNA THROUGH IT ALL.
MY FRIEND WAS A CARING AND LOVING CHRISTIAN WOMAN AND IN MY 80+
YEARS KNOWING HER, I NEVER HEARD HER UTTER A NEGATIVE WORD ABOUT
ANYONE. SHE ALWAYS CHARMED EVERYONE WITH HER BEAUTIFUL BRILLIANT
SMILE, AND SHE EARNED THE LOVE AND RESPECT OF ALL.
RUTHIHE BOWE AS YOU SAID, SHE WAS YOUR ONE GOOD AUNTIE AND I
COMMEND AND THANK YOU, YOUR SIBLINGS, RANDY AND MS. BETHUNE FOR
THE LOVING AND TENDER CARE THAT YOU TOOK OF MY PRECIOUS FRIEND.
REST IN PEACE MY DARLING VERNA.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE THINGS HE HAS DONE! AMEN.
The Dedication of Elcock and Wells.
