Pearl B. Pétigny passed peacefully on Friday, August 12, 2022, surrounded by her loving family. She was 92 years young. A resident of Tampa, Fl, a place she called home for over 35 years, Pearl was known as a tour de force with an exceptional mind. She was exacting, prolific, and gifted. She walked this world with confidence, and grace, dedicated to her calling.
Pearl was born Pearl Belle DeDiva Heron on June 13, 1930, to Madeline Heron (nee Madeline Marshall) and Arthur William Heron in Trinity Ville, St. Thomas Parish, Jamaica. Pearl was the second of three children. Younger sister to Inez E. Lodge, lifelong confidant, and best friend to Roystan Glenmore Binns. Her father was a pastor, and her mother was a master seamstress.
As a child, Pearl excelled academically. She graduated from Montego Bay High School for Girls and trained at Kingston Hospital School of Nursing in 1949. By 1952, at 22, Pearl was registered as a nurse with the General Nursing Council of Jamaica and earned a certificate in Midwifery from Victoria Jubilee Hospital in 1953. Pearl graduated with honors decades apart in two countries and excelled in numerous nursing specialties over her 40-year career. In 1954, at 24, Pearl moved to New York City and was enrolled as a pre-med student at New York University. At the time, Pearl was a registered nurse in the State of New York. In 1976 Pearl completed a technical Nursing Management program at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Later, as the mother of five children, three of them ivy leaguers, Pearl graduated cum laude from St. Francis College in Brooklyn in 1978 with a Bachelor of Sciences/Healthcare Administration, making the Dean’s list spring of her final year.
Pearl Pétigny was a brilliant nurse and highly-skilled administrator. She was fiercely dedicated to patient care while advancing her skills across the fields of Public Health, Obstetrics, Psychiatric, and Orthopedic Nursing. Across numerous hospitals, Pearl attended nursing conferences and served on countless committees drafting and establishing hospital-wide protocols and procedures.
Pearl B Heron wed Réne Christian Petigny on August 25, 1957, at the New York City Tabernacle Seventh-day Adventist Church. Rene was born and raised in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. Together they raised five children: Réne Ludlow, Arthur, Andrée Michelle, Sheila, and Alan.
At the invitation of Pearl’s brother Roy, the young family moved from Queen’s Village, New York, to Ontario, Canada, in 1968, where they built a lovely home on a small estate in Enniskillen. While in Ontario, Réne taught math and biochemistry at the University of Toronto, while Pearl accepted a position as a head nurse at a small area hospital where she led a 13-bed obstetrics unit—at the same time, raising five children, tending to blossoming gardens, hosting international students, and participating in church fellowship activities at Kingsway College.
In September of 1973, a new life chapter opened when the Pétigny family moved to Paris, France, where they lived in the suburb of Chatillion. Pearl and the children enrolled in French class, and Réne introduced them to the wonders of Paris, from museums to historical sites, parks, and gardens, immersing them deeply in French culture.
By 1975, the family returned stateside, residing in Rockland County, New York. Pearl held leadership positions at the Hospital for Joint Diseases and the Veterans hospital in the Bronx, NY. Pearl also ran a modest private duty practice and counted a few New York City doyens among her care. In 1981, Pearl relocated to Tampa, FL. She lived in the Carrollwood Village community and continued her work in nursing for another 20 years. In addition, Pearl served as Head Deaconess at Tampa First Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
Pearl loved to read and was a fan of poetry, classic literature, ballroom dancing, and classic movies. Her strong, creative, and adventurous spirit was just as fiery in her 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s as in her 20’s. She traveled to see the mountains and icebergs of Alaska, studied painting techniques at local Floridian colleges, followed national politics with a scholarly eye, and enjoyed discussions on contemporary topics from BLM to the blockchain. Pearl was a dedicated Seventh-Day Adventist and served her community from Montego Bay to Brooklyn, New York; Oshawa, Ontario; Paris, France; and Tampa, Florida.
Pearl was predeceased by her parents Madeline and Arthur Heron, husband Réne Christian Petigny, siblings Inez E. Lodge and Roystan Glenmore Binns, and her son Dr. Alan Pétigny. She is survived by her children Réne Ludlow Pétigny, Arthur Pétigny, A. Michelle Pétigny, and Sheila Pétigny, and grandchildren Julius Pazer and Dr. Naimah Pétigny.
Instead of flowers, the family requests any donations to Northern Caribbean University, The Nature Conservancy, PFLAG, or The Poor People’s Campaign.
Please join us to celebrate Pearl’s life on Saturday, August 27, 2022. A visitation for Pearl will be held Saturday, August 27, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Gonzalez Funeral Home, 7209 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL 33614. In addition, Pearl’s life will be celebrated at Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Public viewing at 5:15 PM. The service will start at 6 PM with remembrances and live music; everyone is invited to participate in the repass and a retrospective of Pearl’s paintings.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.gonzalezfuneral.com for the Petigny family.
For more information, please contact:
Gonzalez Funeral Home
7209 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33614
(813) 931-1833
Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church
822 W Linebaugh Ave, Tampa, FL 33612
(813) 933-7505
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