Dame Maizie Barker-Welch

DAME THE HONOURABLE MAIZIE BARKER-WELCH DBE CHB BCH LLD (HONS)
Sunrise: September 17, 1927;
Sunset: August 28, 2024 aged 96, of Kew House, Accommodation Road, St. Michael, entered into rest on August 28th 2024 at her residence. Former MP for the Constituency of Joseph, and Senator Proud student of the St. Michael’s Girls School. Former teacher Of St. Bernards School, St. Gabriels School, The Foundation Girls School, the Ursuline Convent, and Codrington High School, Former Vice President and Loyal member of the Democratic Labour Party and League of Women. Former President of the Interamerican Commission of Women. Member of the Clifton Hill Moravian Church and the wider Moravian community. Former Member of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, the Soroptimist Club, the Commonwealth Association, the National Organization of Women, the Caribbean Women’s League, the Barbados Horticultural Society, and the Barbados Association of Piano Teachers, among others.

Maizie Irene Welch née Barker was born to the late Reverend Frank H. Barker and his wife, the late Athalie Aurora Barker née Padmore. In 1950, she married the late Pedro McCartney Welch, and the couple had four children, Professor Pedro Lancelot Welch, former Deputy Principal and Dean, the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill); Sonia Welch GCM, LLB, former Head of the Civil Service, Permanent Secretary and Ambassador; Yolande (Dip. Nursery Nursing Ed.), well-known Fitness Instructor; and Peter Welch BSc Mathematical Physics, MSc Computer Information Systems, Financial Consultant (Geneva, Switzerland).

Dame Maizie was pre-deceased by her siblings: Milton, Robert, Joan, Olivia, Rudolph, Neville, Arlene, Muriel, Anthony, Delaney, and Palsy. She is survived by her brother, the Rev Dr. Frank Alvin Barker (USA).

She was Aunt to several nieces and nephews, including George Thomas (Chief Executive Officer Sagicor Bank);
Franchero Ellis (UWI, Cave Hill); Delaney (Jr), Luna, Delano (Barbados); and Von Karl (Harry), Mary and Maria Barker, Paul, Sharon, Stefan, Sherilyn, Frank (Jr), Craig, Bryce, and the late Patrick – all of the USA; Rev Kirk Barker (USV); Fay and Fran Barker, and Samano (Canada); and Mark (Holland).

Grandmother to Dr. Pedro Andre MBBS, MRCoGP (UK), Gem Bonnet (Maria Holder Nursery School), Tanya de Boer (Admin Manager of Just Grilling), Aisha Phillips, MSc, Gabriel Welch (Chukka Caribbean), Pieter de Boer (Director, Island Projects and Innovation-Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd- Bahamas/Croatia), Chaka Welch {FTEX-Brussels, Belgium); and Nathanaële, Shâna, Elina, and lago Tissieres, all Of Geneva, Switzerland.

Great-grandmother to Femi, Dayo, and Zachari (UK), Sonia and Gabriel (Belgium), Hailee and Olivia (Barbados).
Mother-in-law to Monica Welch née Winter, Florence Tissieres, and former mother-in-law to the late Harm de Boer, Edsil Phillips and Françoise Helmann.

Sister-in-law to Astrid Waterman and Aurea Kirton (Barbados), Gloria Barker (USA), the late O’Brien Welch, Catherine Barker, Grace Barker, Lonnie Sheppard and George Thomas Sr. (Barbados); and the late Phyllis Barker; and Rudi Comvalius (USA).

Cousin to several, including Hyacinth Taylor (UK), Angela Inniss and the late Cecily Inniss (Canada);
Floralene, Delores, D’Orsus, the late Rev Ezra Barker, the Most Hon Kerry-Ann Ifill FB (former President of the Senate) Sheila Chase, Peter Weekes, Shelley Parris (Project Manager BWA); Lloyd, Rev. Tyrone (former Senator), Dave, Stephen Barker and Ann Carter; Jennifer Barker, the late Major Hugh Barker, the late Sylvia Morrison King, the late Marion Forde, the late Terrence King; Lady Grace Franklyn, Louis King, Frank King: Maggie Hood;
Joyce Henry and Barbara Blyden (USA): Lilias and the late Ednith Vaughn, Desiree Regis-Alleyne, Guy, Martin, Christopher and the late Richard Parris; Wilfred and Angela Marshall; and the Sharpe family of Long Gap.

Dear friend of Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, CCMC, D.A., QC, LLD, President. of Barbados, Rev Vera Waithe, Ada Straughn, Olga and Lucille Moe, Dr. Stephen and Marguerite Moe, Dr. Dorothy Millington, Dr. Peggy Walker, Yasmin Odlum (OAS, Washington DC), Gilly Metzgen, former US Ambassador H. E. Linda Tagliatella, Marva Alleyne, Lolila Applewhaite, Jackie Banfield, Shirley Bell, Cheryl Belle, Gloria Broome, Marva Browne, Averil Byer, Deanna Cain, Aldra Clarke, Verla Depeiza, Corlette Garnes, Susan Grogan, Deborah Hinds, Allison Holder, Estalene Leacock, Venice Morris, Yvonne Knight, Bernadette Payne, Colin Riley, Kay Robertson, Marilyn Rice-Bowen, Juliette Russell, Gloria Skeete, Barbara Taylor, Mary Thompson, Irene Sandiford-Garner, Undene Whittaker, and members of the Democratic League of Women and the Democratic Labour Party, Rev. McCurley and Glennschella Taylor (Indiana, USA), Brigadier Rudyard I Lewis and the Lewis family Of Chimborazo, lil Jandhari of the United Kingdom, Sanka Price (Sr) and family, Mervyn St. Louis and family, Bernard Johnson and family (USA).

Former Member of the Clifton Hill and the wider Moravian community; the Business and Professional Club: the Soroptimist Club; the Commonwealth Association; the Caribbean Women’s Organisation (CARIWA); the National Organization of Women (NOW); the Caribbean Women’s League, the Barbados Horticultural Society, Barbados Association of Piano Teachers, and friend of several other cherished persons and organisations too numerous to be listed here The extended Barker, Welch, Sharpe, Padmore, Winter, Bonnett and Henry families mourn her passing.

An Official Funeral for Dame Maizie Barker-Welch DBE CHB BCH LLD (HONS) will be held on September 13, 2024, at the Abundant Life Assembly in Bush Hall, St. Michael. Relatives and friends are asked to meet at 1 pm. The cortege will proceed thereafter to Clifton Hill Moravian Church, St. Thomas, for the interment. Flowers may be sent to Lyndhurst Funeral Home no later than 10:0O a.m. on Friday. The body of the late Dame Maizie Barker-Welch DBE CHB BCH LLD (HONS) will repose at the Lyndhurst Funeral Home on Thursday September 12, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
There will be a collection during the service for the BPW Womens Shelter

The family invites you to view the live streaming of the service; to view, please click here