By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
LESS than one month after her mother passed away, Kenise Symonette-Darville followed in the footsteps of Zella Symonette-Brown when she died at Princess Margaret Hospital on Thursday.
The two former softball players, who were inseparable as a mother-daughter duo on and off the softball field, were remembered by family and friends.
Symonette-Darville, who turned 33 on December 23, leaves behind her husband Jerad Darville, children Anthony, Colman and Chozen Darville, father Kenneth Symonette Sr, brother Kenneth (Qutel) Symonette Jr, aunts and uncles Ruthmae Williams, Maxine Newton, Patricia Brown, Ralph Brown, Ulis Brown and Dexter Brown. A week after she was admitted to hospital, a blood drive was instituted for Symonette-Darville to help save her life.
Unfortunately, she didn’t survive.
Veteran pitcher turned coach Ernestine Butler-Stubbs, a long-time team-mate of Symonette- Brown, said it was hard for members of the Johnson Lady Truckers’ team in the New Providence Softball Association to get over the death of their former star shortstop, to now have to deal with the passing of her daughter, who played second base.
“It was such a short time to lose both of them,” Butler-Stubbs said.
“After Kenise buried her mother, she went right into the hospital, and we talked on the phone just about every day to find out if there was any improvement.
“To hear this news this morning (Thursday), it really shook me up, but I’ve known Zella for a very long time, and I’ve known Kenise from the time she was born and never one day did I have a problem out of them.”
Butler-Stubbs said God knows best when he took both of them right at the same time. She expressed her condolences to the family and on behalf of the Lady Truckers, managed by Sidney ‘Bobby Baylor’ Fernander.
As they prepare for the start of the NPSA 2023 season, Butler-Stubbs said they will honour the memories of their two fallen team-mates.
Retired pitcher Mary ‘Cruise’ Sweeting said after watching Kenise come out to the park with her mother, she knew it was only a matter of time before she started playing.
“She turned out to be a very respectful and beautiful young lady,” Sweeting said.
“She played second base, and she was becoming very good at it. She loved to bunt the ball just like her mother. She proved that she loves the game, and she won a championship with her mother.”
Sweeting expressed condolences on behalf of all female softball players and softball players in general to the Symonette, Darville and Brown families on their double loss of two talented softball players in such a short time.
“We pray that God will sustain them in their time of bereavement,” Sweeting summed up.
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