77.9 F
Cruz Bay
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesFuneral for Deacon Alberto Olive Set for Saturday

Funeral for Deacon Alberto Olive Set for Saturday

June 17, 2005– Friends and family of Deacon Alberto Olive will gather in St. Anne's Chapel in Frenchtown at 10 a.m. Saturday morning to say farewell to one of the most familiar faces the little chapel has known. he died June 12 at his home.
Olive began as an altar boy at St. Anne's 78 years ago when he was eight years old. In 1971, after four years of intense study, he was ordained a deacon in the church, where he served for 15 years.
And, right down the road at Joseph Aubain ballpark, he was almost equally well known. Baseball was his other passion. His family says he had four loves: his family, his God, softball and the New York Yankees.
Olive was an avid softball player, both as a pitcher and third baseman. And he was considered one of the most feared hitters in town. Over the years Olive could be seen hitting or pitching at the ballpark in Frenchtown with the Rangers, the Huns or the Yales. He pitched his last game at the age of 59.
And he could come up with just about any statistic you wanted to know. The last game he saw on TV was his beloved Yankees.
Olive was also fondly known by the nicknames "Ski," "Commish," "Berto," and, of course, "The Deacon."
Olive lived in Frenchtown all his life. Walking down Honduras, he was frequently seen sitting on his front porch, his nose in a book, but always looking up to hail his friends and neighbors passing by.
He was born Nov. 22, 1918, one of 18 children of Frederick Olive and his wives Emily, and Anna, whom Frederick married after his first wife's death.
He went to Sts. Peter andPaul Catholic School after which he went to work to support his parents and siblings.
He worked for the U. S. Navy in the Sub Base, Giminez Furniture Store and Pan American World Airline, before undertaking a 31-year banking career at the V.I. National Bank, where he started as a messenger. He retired as an assistant vice president at First Pennsylvania Bank, which V.I. National Bank had become.
Olive married Sylvia Gras, with whom he had four children — Stanley, Patrick and Judith and Valerie, whom they adopted.
His family members say Olive was "a person of few words," but you just had to look at his expression and could tell how he felt.
Olive had not been well in recent years, but he still managed to climb the many, many stairs to St. Anne's chapel to attend services.
The viewing will be held from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday at John Thomas Memorial Funeral Chapel, with the church service at10 a.m. and burial in Western Cemetery No. 1.
Olive is survived by his wife, Sylvia; sons, Patrick and Stanley; daughters, Judith Raimer and Valerie Danet; son-in-law Larry Raimer; daughters-in-law Ermine and Evelyn Olive; brothers, the Rev. Al Olive, Monsanto, Francois, and Geraldo; sisters, Terry Danet, Mary Duzant, Sylvia Winkler, Emily Montes and Beatrice Haycock; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Anne's Chapel.

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.