Berisford Blair Vassell

Berisford Blair Vassell (84) departed this life in the early afternoon of Friday, March 18, 2022 at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York. He was born in the rural town of Mandeville, Manchester Parish in Jamaica, West Indies on September 10, 1937 to his parents William Vassell and Algona Elfreda Daley. 

At the age of 18, after graduating HS, he moved to the cosmopolitan city of Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where he worked in the Hotel industry as apprentice, then head bartender for the Hilton Hotel chain. One evening, in August of 1965, a pretty guest born in the shore town of Neptune, NJ, on vacation from NYC, arrived at the Hilton. It was love at first sight. The pretty woman he met, Wilma Louise Harrison, was “the one”. They kept in contact via letters for close to a year, and she flew back down the following spring and they were married on April 20, 1966, in the capitol city of Kingston.

In August of 1966, he emigrated permanently to the United States, and lived in Brooklyn, NY. He went to Banking school, and worked in the Banking industry, retiring from Citibank in approx. 2009.

He was pre-deceased by his wife of 55 years, Wilma, on January 29th of this year,  and is survived by his children, April Louise and Blair Edward Vassell, of Brooklyn, NY and his son Steve Vassell of Jamaica, W.I.;  sister-in-law, Carolyn Holland of Neptune, NJ; and a host of nieces and nephews. He will be deeply missed.

   Rest in Peace Pop…. we love you!

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