80.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesAbdullah Saleem Dies in Rhode Island

Abdullah Saleem Dies in Rhode Island

Abdullah Saleem, age 60, of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, passed away peacefully in East Providence, R.I., on Oct. 2, after a long illness. He was a resident of St. Croix and called it home for the past 29 years.

Over those 29 years Abdullah was very involved in his community and took a very active part in the Democratic Party serving as vice chair for 12 years. Abdullah was a dutiful government worker for 25 years and worked in the Department of Labor and the V.I. Housing Authority before his retirement. One of his greatest passions was teaching chess to his sons and other children. In January of 1999, he helped start the Ricardo Richards Elementary School Chess Club and met with 30 children every Thursday after school for six years until he was unable to teach due to his illness. Although he claimed each session was like a physical work out, he found it to be extremely rewarding and continued the program a numbers of years after his son graduated from the school. He felt that chess teaches children good life lessons and wanted to share his knowledge.
Abdullah Saleem was a loving husband, father, brother and friend. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Aminah Saleem; sons: Jaleel , Khalid , Amir and Zayd Saleem; special nephew, Scot Smith; adopted daughters: Naisha Monelle and Nailah Brady; grandson, James Shorts; granddaughter, Amenta Saleem and great-grandson, Jordon Burns. He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Leona Messer Campbell; sister-in-law, Anna Thompson; brothers: Lawrence, Robert and Benjamin Billy Good; sisters: Gail Good Rezendes and Deborah Good; uncles: Leroy Harrison, Franklin Santos and Manuel Santos; aunt, Christine Santos; sisters-in-law: Deborah Addison Good, Debra Perry Good, Debby Cheney Good, Anna Good and Grace Campbell; brothers-in-law: Henry Rezendes and Kenneth Campbell; and many nieces, nephews and family members too numerous to mention.
Abdullah was buried on Oct 3, in Providence, R.I., his place of birth. Per his request, there will not be a memorial service on St. Croix. The family has set up the “Abdullah Saleem Chess Travel Fund,” in his honor to benefit students in need of assistance to attend various chess tournaments off island. Anyone interested in donating to this fund can send checks payable to the “VI Chess Federation” and mail in c/o Aminah Saleem PO. Box 8333, Christiansted, V.I., 00823.
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.