Your trips to the Post Office or Cuzzins Restaurant in town will no longer be the same. That familiar, ever-jovial, Mr. Nice Guy, life-of-the party, Andy Bornn has passed on.
Andrew H. Bornn, 79, of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands died Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000 at Aiken Regional Medical Centers, Aiken, South Carolina after a long illness.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cathedral. Viewing will be from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the John Thomas Funeral Home. Entombment will be in the Western Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the St. Thomas Humane Society, 7041 Estate Nadir #26, St. Thomas, VI 00802.
Friends of Andy’s generation from his native Trinidad and Tobago and St. Thomas knew him as glass-blower, skin diver, sailor, soccer player, painter, owner of Purina (Ralston) House, premier distributor of salt-fish, and most of all — Carnival mas’ man.
His more recent younger friends which numbered in the trillions, knew him as owner of Wintberg Gardens Nursery and Feed Store, a businessman, self-taught horticulturist, naturalist, and animal lover — particularly dogs, birds and horses. To all, no matter how briefly you knew him, Andy Bornn was one thing – the epitome of the simple effervescence of life.
A very modest person, however, Andy, was a driving force in the revival of VI Carnival in 1952, one of the founders of the St. Thomas Humane Society and the Gypsies Carnival Troupe, member of the former Blue Mantas Spear Fishing Club and a highly regarded volunteer fireman.
Andy Bornn is survived by his wife, attorney Edith L. Bornn; three sons, David Bornn, Steven Bornn and Michael Bornn; daughter-in-law Brigitte Bornn and step-grandchild Richard Lazarus all of St. Thomas; sisters, Rafita Bornn Smith and José Bornn Attale of Port of Spain, Trinidad. He is also survived by sister-in-law Angela Bacher and her husband Fred Bacher of Sea Isle City, NJ and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and a special companion.
Funeral arrangements are by the Jackson-Brooks Funeral Home of Aiken, South Carolina and the John Thomas Funeral Home of St. Thomas.
