Donald Hugh André was born in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on January 11, 1951. He was the beloved son of Eleanor E. Adams and Donald H. “Chappo” Andre, Sr. He attended Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic School until the second grade. At the age of 8, after the passing of his mother, he lived with his paternal grandfather, René M. Andre, in Bronx, New York. There he attended public schools and, graduated from Evander Childs High School in 1969. Throughout his school years, he spent summer vacations on St. Thomas with his maternal grandparents, Ella “Arbie” Adams and Alton A. Adams Sr. and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Donald attended New York Community College in Brooklyn, New York, earning an associate of Arts Degree in Dental Lab Technology in 1976. He returned to his beloved St. Thomas in 1978, in hopes of working as a dental lab technician. However, he found this difficult to fulfill. He began working for Alton A. Adams & Associates as a Quality Central Technician. He conducted field inspection of roads, in charge of concrete and soil testing. His major projects included the Cyril E. King Airport, VI Housing Authority, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Naval Station Radar Tower. During his tenure he received certificates and accreditations in Concrete Field Inspection, ACI Lab Strength Test Certification, GCPA Masonry Testing Technician, GASWCC, NICET Level 1 Soil and Asphalt Certification, and NICET Level 2 Concrete Certification.
He married his first wife, Phyllis Malone, in December, 1979. From this union two girls were born, Michelle and Renée.
After leaving Adams & Associates, Donald relocated to Baltimore, Md. where he worked for Penniman & Browns Inc. He was responsible for field inspection of roads and laboratory testing of concrete material. His major job was the Baltimore Lit. Rail System. In 1991 he returned to St. Thomas and worked for Kimball Chase as a Quality Control Engineer. He began working for the Department of Public Works Office of Highway in 1994 as the Quality Control Engineer. He provided direction for the Federal Aid Highway Program, assisted with the development and execution of policies and procedures for sampling and testing. After leaving Public Works, Donald moved to Georgia where he married his second wife, Verna Turnbull , on March 15, 1996, where they resided. Donald was an exceptional, positive influence on the lives of his stepdaughters Shenell and Shamour.
Donald worked in the private sector for United Consulting Group, Ltd. as an Engineering Technician and later to Terracon in 2000. Donald could not stay away from his beautiful St. Thomas and began working for the Department of Public Works, Office of Highway Engineering under contract from 2010 to the present.
In addition to his professional pursuit, Donald was very much involved in his community. He was a member of the Raunchy Bunch and Jesters Carnival Troupes. He was also a member of the Party Hardy Carolers. He was an avid church goer, attending the 6:30 a.m. mass at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. He enjoyed playing tennis, fishing, basketball and softball.
Donald was diagnosed with stage four small bowel adenocarcinomas in January 2016. He was taken from us quickly thereafter, on August 9, 2016. We will truly miss his calm presence and his great smile.
May he rest in eternal peace.