Rita Petrus Morris Blamoville

The family of Rita Petrus Morris Blamoville announces her passing on Thursday, July 28, 2016 in Bluffton, South Carolina. Rita was born October 8, 1924 on St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands to Govina Petrus of St. Thomas and Hans Hernando of Barcelona, Spain. Rita had other brothers and sisters who were born to her mother when her mother migrated to the Dominican Republic. She, however, remained on St. Thomas where she was raised by her godmother, Clemencia Todman. Rita grew up on St. Thomas. She attended Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School and would remain a devout Catholic throughout her life. She attended church regularly and her favorite saint was Saint Anthony of Padua. She was an avid softball player, playing the catcher position. During these years, she became mother to her first three children; Rose Marie (“Rosie”), Arnold (“Chico”), and Joel while on St. Thomas. In the early 50s Rita relocated to New York City where she married Henry W. Morris Jr., also of St. Thomas, and together they became parents to Marcella (“Gerrie”), Henrita (“Terrie”), Judith (“Judy”), Henry III (“Hank”), and Regina who died at birth. After Rita and Henry separated, she continued to raise her children as a single parent in the Bronx, New York. She always placed strong emphasis on the importance of education. It was not just talk. She set an example for them by trudging out every evening to finish her own education in “night school.” All of her children hold college degrees. Rita was also a strict disciplinarian, expecting her children to be independent, self sufficient, and respectful of others. She liked to brag she “never had to stand up in front of a judge for any of her children.” She worked for several anti-poverty community programs in the Bronx and as a clerk for the New York City Board of Education in Brooklyn, New York. However, her most gratifying job was raising her children. On a visit back home to St. Thomas in 1980, Rita rekindled an old friendship with Urdaneto (Odo) Blamoville, whom she knew from her youth. He persuaded her to make a life with him on St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands where he resided. They married in 1981. The children and their spouses enjoyed many holidays and birthdays on St. Croix with Rita and Odo. Christmas became an annual family gathering. On Rita’s (“Ma”) 80th birthday celebration, the children, spearheaded by Judy, decided to “give Ma her flowers” while she was still alive. They honored her with a booklet in which each penned how she had most affected their lives. No one knew what the other had written, but it was clear that while each perspective was different, there was a common thread in the personal recollections as each child read their musing to her. Rosie remembered being sick as a child, needing to be isolated, and how Ma refused to have her hospitalized, instead taking her out of school for a month and tending to her with “inflammation bush from St. Thomas.” She soon became well again. Chico remembered a mother with “old-fashioned ways, never having a key around his neck, and having to be home before dark.” Gerrie attributed Ma’s children’s academic accomplishments and “the importance of being educated” to observing Ma’s own determination to attain her high school diploma in night school. Terrie recalled the family’s lively discussions around the dinner table and Ma’s love of classical music, which led to her own love for music and the arts. Hank remembered a woman who was not afraid to show “tough love.” He recalled how, as a young boy, she made him stand up for himself against a neighborhood bully. Perhaps the most insightful tribute was Judy’s. She summed up what it must have been like for Ma trying to raise her children, several of those years on her own. She believed in the setting of limits and instilling values. She made sure her children knew how to cook, clean, grocery shop, and do laundry at a very young age. It wasn’t always easy. Judy remembered “maubi working on the window sill and hot cereal on the table on cold winter mornings.” Rita was clearly moved by the entire birthday weekend, the tributes and the outpouring of love and appreciation from her children. There were many sacrifices and dreams left unfulfilled, but still, she left a legacy. As it became apparent that Rita and Odo needed more assistance in their daily living, they relocated to Bluffton, South Carolina in 2011 to be closer to Rosie and Gerrie. After a few years of health issues and heart failure, Odo predeceased her on January 19, 2014, at the age of 92. Rita also had long-time friends who predeceased her, including her lifelong friend and confidant, Reverend Mark Knoll, a Redemptorist priest who served at Sts. Peter and Paul in the 40s and 50s, and her very close friends Madeline Francis and Ilva Smith of St. Thomas. Rita is survived by her children, Rose Marie Anderson (Burnside E. III) of New York and South Carolina; Arnold Petrus (Jackie) of Connecticut; Marcella Palmer (Egbert “Al” ) of South Carolina; Henrita Barber of St. Thomas; Judith Donadelle (Olando) of St. Thomas; and Dr. Henry W. Morris III (Janice) of Minnesota. She was blessed with grand-children, Tia Petrus; Nina Prophet; Arnold Petrus; Mark Petrus; John Barber; Jovani Barber Peter (Greig); Halvor Francis; Jolanda Donadelle Rabsatt (Lyndell); Stephanie Anderson; and Jonathan Anderson (Andrea). She was also blessed with great-grandchildren, Dionna and Tariq Petrus; Myles Petrus, Noel and Faith Prophet; Alexa and Eli Peter; Tyrell Mason, and Jaylen Rabsatt; Dustin Anderson, Dallan and Derren Mindner; and Brandon, Jordan, and Morgan Anderson. She has two surviving cousins, Nydia Lowe of Florida and Leopold Christian of Georgia. She is also survived by her former spouse, special sister-in-law Perlita Harper of Florida, and a host of other family and friends who held a special place in her heart, including Eufalla Cheatham of South Carolina. Rita will be deeply missed by her family and friends. The family extends a very special thank you to all!