Overwhelming turnout filled the church and spilled outside as family, friends and well-wishers gathered to farewell Mary Antonette Missick, remembered by many simply and affectionately as “Mama May or mom May”
Wednesday 26th August, 2026 – PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands.
— There are some people whose character is best measured not by titles or positions, but by how they treated people, particularly those whom others may have overlooked.
For many who knew the late Mary Antonette Misick, affectionately called “Mom May,” that was the life she lived.
Mom May was remembered as a woman of deep Christian faith, remarkable kindness and quiet dignity, and the enormous attendance at her Service of Thanksgiving offered perhaps the clearest indication of how many lives she and her family had touched.
The turnout was overwhelming.
The church simply could not hold everyone who came to say farewell. The sanctuary filled, mourners remained outside, and others stayed in their vehicles rather than leave as the service continued.
There were people from different generations and different stages of Mama May’s life. Her children were surrounded by their own circles of support, while her grandchildren likewise had friends and supporters there for them.
It was more than a funeral attendance. It was an outpouring of support for a family saying goodbye to its matriarch.
A KIND WOMAN FROM GRAND TURK
For those who personally encountered Mama May, however, the memories went beyond what could be written in a funeral programme.
She was remembered as one of those genuinely kind women of Grand Turk — gracious, approachable and seemingly without a mean bone in her body.
Even in the later years of her life, those qualities remained evident.
One particularly lasting memory of Mama May was her willingness to extend kindness to people whom society might reject, judge or look down upon. She did not appear to determine someone’s worth according to their circumstances or reputation.
Instead, she reached out.
That kindness was rooted deeply in her Christian faith and in her belief that people should experience the love of Jesus not merely through words, but through the way Christians treated them.
It is a quality that those who knew her could also recognise in the family she raised.
Her children, including Hillary, Holly, Bridgett and Keisha were seen during the period surrounding her passing carrying themselves with the same grace and pleasantness that had long been associated with their mother.
Those characteristics did not appear by accident. To those who knew Mom May, they were part of the legacy she passed down.
HER REVERENCE FOR GOD STOOD OUT
Perhaps one of the most striking personal memories of Mom May came from attending church alongside her.
Her Christianity was not something she appeared to wear merely for public display.
There was a noticeable reverence in the way she approached worship and in the respect she showed toward men and women who preached and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
During services, she listened attentively.
There was a seriousness and respect about the way she received the Word of God that left an impression on those sitting around her.
For anyone wanting an example of how an older generation approached the church, worship and those entrusted with preaching the Gospel, Mama May provided one.
She respected the house of God.
She respected those who ministered there.
And, above all, she demonstrated through her walk with God that her faith mattered deeply to God and men.
That spiritual devotion would remain one of the defining themes of the tributes paid following her death.
“MARY THE MATRIARCH”
Mama May was also remembered as “Mary the Matriarch,” a role that became especially significant following the death of her husband in 1998.
She assumed greater responsibility within the family, including managing family business interests and investments, while maintaining the quiet strength for which she became known.
She also served as a Justice of the Peace.
Those who knew her described a woman who did not need to dominate a room to command respect. She could be quiet and reserved, but that quietness should never have been mistaken for weakness.
When circumstances required her to speak, she could do so with confidence.
Her cousin, Matilda Florence Hamilton, remembered a younger Mama May during her years in Jamaica, where she attended Durham’s College and took her education seriously.
Those recollections painted a picture remarkably consistent with the woman she later became: dedicated, compassionate, prayerful and deeply connected to the people she loved.
EVEN WHILE SICK, SHE THOUGHT ABOUT OTHERS
Mama May’s kindness apparently did not disappear when she herself needed care.
Among the accounts shared following her passing were memories from those who cared for her during dialysis.
Within that setting she became known simply as “Mummy” or “Mama.”
Despite confronting her own health difficulties, she was remembered for remaining concerned about other patients and for maintaining a sense of gratitude toward those caring for her.
She would check on others who were experiencing difficult periods and personally say goodbye before leaving the unit.
As her own condition became more serious, her faith remained at the forefront.
Following her 80th birthday, one prayer attributed to Mom May became especially poignant:
“Pray for me, I want to see Jesus.”
For a woman whose life had been so closely connected to her Christian beliefs, those words would carry even greater significance at her final farewell.
A FINAL PRESENTATION FIT FOR MAMA MAY
Even in death, Mom May was presented with the elegance and dignity with which her family wanted her remembered.
She was laid to rest in a striking bright ivory-white, floor-length gown, beautifully decorated with shimmering silver detailing, intricate designs, pearls and crystal accents.
The gown featured a regal high collar, fitted sleeves and an elegant flowing cape, with detailed embellishments throughout the bodice and edges.
Her accessories continued the pearl theme.
She wore pearl-detailed white shoes, matching earrings and other carefully coordinated pieces, while an ivory fascinator decorated with pearls and feathers completed the presentation.
The overall appearance was almost regal.
But there was another detail that stood out to those viewing Mama May during the farewell.
Her legs rested crossed in a relaxed position.
For those who loved her and knew what she had endured toward the end of her earthly journey, there was something deeply peaceful about that image. She appeared settled and at rest — almost as though Mom May had finally reached the peace and contentment she had long prayed for.
A FAMILY SURROUNDED BY LOVE
The funeral also became a reflection of the generations Mama May left behind.
Her children were not alone in their grief. Neither were her grandchildren.
Each generation appeared surrounded by people who had come specifically to support them.
That mattered.
The crowd was so substantial that the church itself became inadequate for the number of mourners. People remained outside. Others listened from their vehicles. Yet they stayed because they wanted to be present for Mama May and for the family she left behind.
The family, in turn, expressed appreciation to those who had cared for her during her illness, including medical professionals and staff at the hospitals and Dialysis Unit, along with those who provided personal care, companionship and support.
It was evident that Mama May’s final journey involved a network of people who cared for her, just as she had spent so much of her own life caring about others.
THE KINDNESS SHE GAVE AWAY
For those who personally experienced Mama May’s kindness, however, perhaps her greatest legacy cannot be captured by the size of the funeral or even by the tributes written about her.
It was what she gave people while she was alive.
She had a heart for people others might reject.
She could show kindness to someone who was struggling, someone going through difficulties, or someone whom others might have already judged.
She believed in reaching out.
She believed in showing people love.
And she demonstrated that Christianity was not simply about attending church; it was also about what happened when you walked back outside and encountered someone who needed compassion.
That is why memories of Mama May’s reverence inside the church and her kindness outside of it fit so naturally together.
The two were connected.
The faith she demonstrated before the altar was reflected in the way she treated people away from it.
REST WELL, MAMA MAY
The Turks and Caicos Islands has lost another member of an older generation whose influence extended through children, grandchildren, relatives, friends, church communities and ordinary people who simply encountered her kindness along the way.
For her family, the loss is far more personal.
They have lost Mama.
Yet the overwhelming farewell showed that they do not mourn her alone.
Mary Antonette Missick was remembered as a matriarch, a woman of faith and a gracious daughter of Grand Turk. But to the many people whose lives crossed hers, the simpler name may say considerably more.
She was Mama or Mom May.
A woman who respected God, respected people, reached toward those others might overlook and tried to leave kindness wherever she went.
And at her final farewell, surrounded by the family she helped shape and an overflowing gathering of people who came to honour her, Mama May appeared so peaceful and finally at rest.
As one tribute so fittingly expressed it:
“Rest well, Mama, at the feet of Christ.”
By one of your sons indeed, Wilkie Arthur of Eagle Legal News
We love you Mom May!!
