Michael Browne's condolences book was placed at the entrance of the Government Administration Building on Pond Island.
PHILIPSBURG--The offices of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI will be closed on Friday, October 25. VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs took this decision to allow staff to pay their respects to the late Michael Browne, who worked at VROMI.
“This closure is in recognition of the deep loss experienced by the Ministry, and to provide our team the opportunity to honour the memory of our colleague as well as that of his partner Leonora Barbieri,” Gumbs said.
The couple lost their lives early Saturday morning, October 12, after their motorcycle crashed into a concrete pillar near Sunny Foods supermarket on A.Th. Illidge Road around 5:00am.
Ambulance personnel quickly attempted to provide medical assistance to stabilise them for transport to the hospital, but despite their efforts, they were unable to save the victims. Shortly after, both were declared deceased at the scene due to the severity of their injuries.
Michael Browne will be laid to rest on Friday. The funeral will be held at Royal Funeral Home, with viewing and tributes from 9:00am. Service will commence at 10:30am, followed by interment at the Roman Catholic Cemetery.
The family of Leonora Barbieri has arranged for her to be laid to rest in her home country Italy. Tributes will be delivered in her honour on Friday.
The VROMI Ministry thanks the community for their understanding and support in this difficult time. For urgent matters related to VROMI, call +1-721-542-2908 or end an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
