The late Mrs Eileene Lucia Parsons OBE will receive an official funeral on Thursday, July 17, 2025. Photo: Facebook

Former Legislator, Cultural Icon, Patriot, and one of the first women elected in the Virgin Islands, the late Mrs Eileene Lucia Parsons OBE, died on June 22, 2025, at the Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital at the age of 94. Photo: VINO/File

The body of the late Mrs Eileene Lucia Parsons OBE will lie in state at the House of Assembly (HoA) on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, before her official funeral on Thursday, July 17, 2025. Photo: GIS

Mrs Parsons, who died on June 22, 2025, at the Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital, is expected to be laid to rest on Thursday, July 17, 2025, and will lie in state at the House of Assembly (HoA) on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

While the official planning committee is still finalising the details, a family spokesperson confirmed the date to our newsroom and also posted on social media. 

Her final resting place will be the Road Town Methodist Church graveyard in Long Bush on the main island of Tortola.

Send tributes  

The family has also invited residents to submit tributes and photos by Wednesday, July 9, 2025 and to keep tributes under 150 words.

The late Parsons, who died just days shy of her 95th birthday, was the first woman in the Virgin Islands (VI) to serve as a Government Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Deputy Speaker of the then Legislative Council.

In his tribute to the late legislator, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D Wheatley (R7) noted, “Ms Parsons was a trailblazer, a cultural icon, and a patriot whose legacy is woven into the very fabric of our society.”

She shattered barriers

The Premier added, “She was a pioneer who shattered barriers and opened doors for future generations of women leaders."

In addition to her political achievements, the deceased Parsons was widely known for her passion and commitment to preserving VI’s culture. She founded and led the BVI Heritage Dancers and also played a key role in sending local cultural groups abroad to represent the Territory.