Gail Cordelia Berkley-Armstrong was born January 5, 1947 in Berkeley, California. (Courtesy Photo
CONDOLENCES FROM JAMAICA AND ITS PEOPLE
FOR THE FAMILY OF GAIL CORDELIA BERKELEY – ARMSTRONG
January 7, 2022
On Sunday, January 2nd at the dawning of 2022, Jamaica and Jamaicans lost a true friend and one of our most staunch supporters.
Mrs. Gail Cordelia Berkeley-Armstrong, an African-American journalist of international renown, was a voice for issues and concerns of the African Diaspora. She not only represented the Diaspora in print, but she traveled across continents and nations to immerse herself in the culture and history of many countries. We were honored that she chose to visit Jamaica, and her love for our island home continued in her active involvement in the Jamaican community of Northern California.
We owe her a great debt of gratitude for her role in 1986 as the Co-Founder of the Sister City Organization between Oakland and Ocho Rios in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica through which cultural exchange activities enable strengthen international partnerships, promote cultural understanding, increase cooperation, advance education, stimulate business relationships for the economic benefit of both cities and encourage peace.
A woman who wielded great influence in her professional life and extensive community service, Mrs. Berkeley-Armstrong exercised gentle grace, deep compassion, honesty, integrity, and quiet strength in her desire to uplift and empower others. With her welcoming smile and sincere interest in relationships, she made and maintained strong friendships with people from a diversity of backgrounds who are left to treasure the memory of their appreciation and respect for her.
Having endured a prolonged illness with her spirit of faith she now has transitioned to eternal peace and rest. We thank God for blessing us with the opportunity to having shared her life’s journey and the gift of her generosity of heart.
We are grateful to her beloved husband, Ray Armstrong, her sisters Theon C. King and Mariam Rhea Berkeley, and her relatives for sharing her with the wide circle of the community of which we are a part. We hold you in prayer, knowing that God’s Spirit embraces and comforts you, and that you will be blessed with divine healing and peace.
We extend to you the reassurance of the promise in Isaiah 61:2b-3 that the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord has been sent:
“…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion –
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
With sincere condolences
The people of Jamaica; Honorary Consul David Sangster;
The Officers and Board of Directors of the Jamaica American Community Organization
