ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Former president, Crispin Sorhaindo, died here on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 78.
Sorhaindo, who was President of this Caribbean island from 1993-98, also served as Speaker of the Dominica House of Assembly, Clerk of the Executive and Legislative Councils and was also the island’s financial secretary.
In 1963, he served as secretary to Civil Service Commission on the proposed East Caribbean Federation, following the collapse of the West Indies Federation in 1962.
Sohaindo was also a member of numerous state-owned boards in Dominica and served also on the Eastern Caribbean Securities Regulatory Commission (ECSRC).
Between the period 1973 to 1988, he was a director and Vice-President of the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
His official biography described him as “a committed regionalist who had wide experience in all of the recent attempts, and successes, at various types of Caribbean integration, representing Dominica at the early conferences leading to the establishment of CARIFTA (Caribbean Free Trade Area) and CARICOM, (the Caribbean Common Market) that succeeded it, as well as those meetings that laid the foundations for the establishment of the Caribbean Development Bank and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).”
Sorhaindo received the Papal award of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Sylvester in 1993 and was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1969, the Venezuelan Naval Medal Almirante Luis Brion in 1998 and the Dominica Award of Honour in 2001.
Sorhaindo is survived by his wife, Ruby, and six children.
My condolences goes out to the entire family.
I had the privilege of working with Mr. Sorhaindo and he demonstrated a great degree of professionalism as well as humility despite his vast level of experience and knowledge.
To the Sorhaindo family, a great thank you for the many years Mr. Sorhaindo gave selflessly to Dominica.
God bless, and may he rest in peace.
uncle crispin was such a loving man. He will be missed dearly…xxx
I just wanted to say this was beautifully written. He will be missed by his family greatly and its nice to know that not only his family know how great he is. Thank you.
rest in peace sir.
May his soul Rest In Peace.
He’ll be sorely missed by dominicans and regional associates.I had the good fortune of being taught by one of the family at st mary’s academy. Great family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deepest condolances to the family ad friends who are left to mourn. RIP. You served Dominica well.
r.i.p
i visited his home once..he was so kind and warm to me…. a complete stranger…he picked me a gardenia from his garden and told me to smell it and stick it behind my ear….will never forget u mr S…R.I.P
My heart felt condolences to the family.
Another great son of the soil has passed. May he rest in PEACE.
My sympathies to the family of this great Dominican. He served us exceptionally well. It is my sincere hope that history will do justice to his yeoman service to the Dominican and caribbean development agenda.
May his soul rest in peace. To his wife and children I say take comfort in the fact that your husband and father did his utmost to advance the cause of humanity wherever the Lord led him. His was a life spent in the service of humanity. His sufferings are over. He is with his maker now.
Take no pictures at his funeral. Just remember him when he was alive and made you all laugh, gave a wise, christian counsel to anyone who sought his advice,
Mr. President, sleep in peace.
I had the opportunity to converse with this humble son of the soil and i must say that I learnt a lot from him. My sympathies to his wife and family. may he rest in Eternal Peace.
I first met this humble, dedicated, and inspiring individual when I was a young altar boy at the Roseau Cathedral circa 1950’s. Crispin Sorhaindo was one of the few individuals in Dominica whose character never became tainted in one form or another. May God receive him.
A great Dominican.
May he rest in peace.
Uncle Crispin, you were a man of God, a man of family and just an amazing man all around! I am thankful that I was fortunate enough to have spent many years around you as a child and teenager. May your soul rest in perfect peace!
May your soul rest in peace, as a young girl growing up i remember Dame Eugenia Charles hailing Mr. Sohrindo as a well respected and devoted president. R.I.P Sir Crispin
May his sould rest In peace. We have lost another great son of the soul. Sympathy to his Wife, children and Dominicans by extention.
Condolences go out to his family. May he rest in peace.
May his soul rest in peace. A great figure and mentor to the Dominican people and one who will never be forgotten for his role in Dominica and the caribbean community. Sympathies to his entire family.
he’ll be greatly missed
May his soul rest in peace, good man.