The Tribune

By Tribune Staff Reporter

IVA Rebecca Burrows Nixon, a revered community leader in Inagua whose life was marked by activism, service and quiet authority, was laid to rest on Saturday at Saint Philip’s Anglican Church in Matthew Town. She was 87.

Her funeral coincided with Majority Rule Day weekend, a fitting moment for a woman who was deeply involved in advancing women’s rights in Inagua during the early 1960s and who remained committed to civic participation throughout her life.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and several parliamentarians attended the service, joining family members and residents.

Mrs Nixon’s cousin, Father Keith Cartwright, who delivered the sermon, described her as a national figure whose influence extended beyond Inagua.

“I'm happy to take the time out to share, and I am grateful if you can highlight the love and care of Miss Iva as mother of inagua and mother in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. For me, she was an unsung hero of our nation, and it was sitting that her send off would have been at a national time when we are thinking of majority rule and celebrating that significant milestone,” he told The Tribune.

Mrs Nixon raised four children and opened her home to many others in need of care and discipline, a role that earned her enduring respect across the island.

During the prime minister’s travels on the island, supporters of MICAL aspirant Robert Dupuch-Carron were seen holding placards in support of his bid.

Mr Dupuch-Carron attended the funeral along with fellow PLP aspirant Ronnell Armbrister and many others.