Isaac Paiewonsky, one of the most prominent merchants in the Virgin Islands, and father of Governor Ralph Paiewonsky, died here yesterday, aged 78. Gov. Paiewonsky is the first St. Thomas-born chief executive.
The elder Paiewonsky, known affectionately to many here as “Papa Paie,” came to St. Thomas from Lithuania at the age of 13. Among the many enterprises which he developed and owned was a shipping service, which he used during World War II to supply the islands with drugs and other essentials. In 1945, the legislature here voted a formal resolution of gratitude for this service to “Papa Paie.”
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