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Community Activist Carole DeSenne Dead at 63

June 17, 2007 – St. John resident Carole DeSenne, who served as director of the St. John Community Foundation, died Thursday at her home at Bellevue Village. She was 63.
Her son, Michael DeSenne, said she died of complications from diabetes.
DeSenne, who also managed Bellevue Village affordable housing and Cruz Bay Apartments, as well as the Foundation's Dial-A-Ride program, moved to St. John early in this decade to work as a chef at the now-closed Voyages Restaurant.
Her sister, Jan Palazzo, said she then went to work for Miss Lucy's Restaurant until health concerns put an end to her restaurant career.
Next she signed on as director of the St. John Community Foundation. "She did a great job for us," Rob Crane, a member of the board of directors, said Sunday.
DeSenne touched many aspects of the St. John community. She was a tireless advocate for youth activities: the Night Out Against Crime program, Girl Scouts and the island's Children's Carnival Village. She was also active in the Epiphany Theater Co. and sang with the St. John Singers.
Her sister said DeSenne was born in Arizona but spent her youth in Fort Meyers, Fla. After attending college in Florida and Alaska, she graduated in 1974 from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
She was also a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, according to her son.
Before moving to St. John, DeSenne lived in Newark, N.J., where she owned The DeSenne Group, a company that provided consulting services to public and private nonprofit groups.
She held numerous other jobs before starting The DeSenne Group in 1979. She worked for the Small Business Administration's Disaster Lending Program, was a researcher for former President Jimmy Carter's transition team, worked in various capacities for several politicians and was a supervisor in a VISTA program in Norfolk.
Michael DeSenne noted she was involved for many years with the arts, and in the early 1990s organized the Newark Jazz Festival. "She was packing the house," he said.
Michael DeSenne added that although he was raised by his grandparents, his mother was a presence in his life and often took him on trips to places like Europe. "I'll remember her for her zest for life," he said.
Gloria Coffelt of St. John's Sea of Life Ministries said that DeSenne became a Christian two months ago and liked to be called "a baby Christian."
Coffelt spoke about DeSenne's work with children and said that she had great plans for doing more with the Bellevue Village children.
DeSenne also worked tirelessly on the Project Safe Neighborhoods Speak Your Peace project last summer, according to St. Thomas resident Shaun A. Pennington, who served on the committee with her.
St. John resident Paul Devine said that DeSenne was a dynamic person who set goals, saw what needed to be done and made it happen. He described her as "a very talented woman."
Her sister called DeSenne a unique person. "And I love her," she said.
A memorial service will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Bellevue Village community center.

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