Passing on a Legacy of Love

Idetha and Charlie share a prolific culture of food, people and strong family ties.  Their earliest and mostly cherished memories collide in the small town of Sandy Point, St. Kitts where they both were born and raised. 

Although Idetha knew of Charlie for a long time, even in a small town like Sandy Point they did not per chance get to meet each other in their early years.  Her first impression of Charlie was either he is very arrogant or quietly self assured. Charlie's Older sister Carlene was Idetha's kindergarten teacher and Girl's Brigade Leader.  His other sister Sandra was her Math teacher for a few years in High School as well.  Through a network of friends, they were formally introduced to each other on three separate occasions.  The third time was the charm.  Charlie looked right at her and unpretentiously asked her if her teeth were real because her smile was amazing.  Right then and there, she was about to give him the offer to check them out himself.  Since then, her smile has been reeling him in hook, line and sinker.

The couple came to New York in 1986.  Charlie came for a short vacation and Idetha stayed for undergraduate studies at Rutgers University.  Charlie came back to the USA in 1988 in pursuit of a graduate degree. They got married in the summer of 1989 and have since then lived in every borough of New York City.  At present, they have set up home in New Jersey with five dynamic children.  Their intention is to pass on a legacy of love to this generation.  

Their mission is to invest in and raise conscientious independent thinkers.  Idetha and Charlie have learned from their parents to honor not only quantity but the quality time they spend as a family.  The most used words in their household are ‘priority’ and 'value'.   'Most important than anything is that children need more experiences than they do material things.  In order to maintain balance in a large family they have mastered the art of ‘delayed gratification’.   In setting their vertical alignment their thoughts are usually, “Moments before materials” - “Horse before the cart”- “In the natural scheme of things, how urgent/necessary/important is (this) matter to us moving forward”.  

They both miss living in St. Kitts but home is wherever they are together.  Idetha is a stay-at-home mom with a full time responsibility to keep her family smiling. Charlie is employed as an executive director for a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City.