Therese Felix dead at forty-six
Therese Felix lived the pain few experience; she has had to bury two sons, nurse another back to health after a shooting and another is currently an inmate at the Kolbe Foundation. She didn’t just stay at home and suffer after the death of her sons. She got involved. Felix is one of the founders of Mothers Organized for Peace, a grass roots organization, engaged in the fight to end violence. Felix was having health problems lately and she fell gravely ill over the weekend and succumbed to an asthma attack on Saturday night. Today, News Five spoke to Felix’s sister, who recounted the efforts to make Felix’s community a better one.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Therese Felix had five children: Ryan and Roy Bennett and Terry, Tyrone, Faron and Feeshia Felix. After Tyrone was murdered on Mother’s day in 2006, Therese found a calling in life. The death of her son turned her into a well known community activist with the group, Mothers Organized for Peace. She died at two p.m. at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Saturday, October fourth. The death of her sons and the cry for peace by mothers will be the memory the public will have of Felix.
Desiree Felix, Sister of Therese Felix
“After the death of Tyrone you know it was very difficult. Therese and Tyrone were very, very close and she had to do something positive to help save her sanity rather than trying to take revenge, which would have been very easy, she decided to turn it around and let something positive come out of Tyrone’s death. That’s why, along with Erwin X, right here during the bereavement before the funeral service we were here discussing it and she decided let’s do something about this because too many killing on the street; too many killing. So maybe we could just do something positive to stop this violence.”
But the violence did not end with Tyrone. Therese’s other son Roy was sent to jail and her youngest son, Faron, in December 2007, was gunned down by a wall on Faber’s Road that was eventually broken down. And according to her sister Desiree, his death seemed to have broken her.
Jose Sanchez
“I guess she never expected anything to happen to Faron himself?”
Desiree Felix
“No never, not Faron. Faron was her baby; he was her life. And although Faron’s death was very hard for her, even more difficult than Tyrone’s death, she still remained positive but it was just too much for any person to bear. He was her baby and basically, it destroyed her. It destroyed my sister.”
Therese Felix, Deceased (3rd December, 2007)
“Maybe afta wah lee while when I finish cool off. Ih might mek ah think a different way. But it noh wah be dis year, maybe next year. I have to rest myself fi wah lee while and den try get back but I have to cool off first before I get back because right now, Marion, I mad. Like I seh, he da mi my baby; sixteen years, noh even start life yet fi mek two punk shot son dehn kind a way, four bullets.”
Her words with Mother’s Organized for Peace will be her most remembered.
Therese Felix (9th August, 2006)
“But den dehn have next mothers weh dehn son fall and dah no all granny could afford fi help dehn grandchildren. So if we could help some kind ah way—I noh have it, but I noh mind help she some kind ah way; wah dozen exercise book, some weh we could help somebody. Times hard fu everybody but at least we could come out, you know, unity dah strength and all we need dah unity. Once we got unity, we alright … come together as one.”
Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
The family is finalizing funeral arrangements.
