Irma B. King Licorish

Irma Bernice King-Licorish was born on June 29, 1943 in Leguan, Essequibo, Guyana, South America.

She was the daughter of the late Lawrence Alexander King and Muriel Iris King. Irma was their second child and first daughter of this union of thirteen children.

Irma was always a selfless and hard worker.  She was a role model to her siblings and excelled in school, obtaining the highest score at the College of Preceptors, an early High School overseas examination. Her high school - British Guyana Educational Trust, honored her with a one-year scholarship. At age sixteen, she passed the prestigious British overseas standardized test, Senior Cambridge Examination, obtaining passes in six academic subjects.  Irma also received her Teacher’s Certification from the Teachers Training College of Guyana and taught at Saint Sidwell’s Anglican School. 

Irma emigrated to the U.S.where she attended Howard University, graduating with a BSBA degree in Accounting. She met and married John Wesley Licorish who was also at Howard University.  They moved from Washington DC to Boston, Massachusetts. In Boston, Irma continued her professional education, earning her MBA at Suffolk University.

Irma was the first of her family of 15 to obtain a master’s degree. Her desire to be successful extended beyond simply bettering her own situation.  She was determined to pave the way for her parents and siblings too. Irma was instrumental in helping her family emigrate to the United States.

Irma worked in the corporate world at Arthur D. Little and at W.R. Grace for many years before making the courageous leap to pursue her life’s goal of becoming an entrepreneur by starting her own business.  For over fifteen years, she was the sole proprietor of Caribbean African Creations, a specialty boutique where she imported and sold arts, crafts, jewelry, clothing and other products from the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America.  She began this journey by utilizing her connections in Guyana and Barbados to import on a small scale.  After many years, she expanded to a thriving retail business, which first began in North Cambridge and eventually moved to Harvard Square.  Irma’s business was her pride and joy and she put her all into it until she retired in 2003.

In addition to her academic and business pursuits, Irma was a proud mother and grandmother.  From her union with John, Irma had two children: John Samuel Alexander and Grace Olivia Bernice. Samuel and his wife Lisa have one child: Naomi Faith Addison. Grace and her husband Mahdi have four children: Calvin Ledell, Charles Wesley, Christopher Lawrence and Mahdi Jr.

To her siblings, they remember Irma as a trailblazer!  She believed her faith in God, hard work, and determination could get her anywhere in life.  She not only talked the talk but walked the walk.  To her children, they remember their Mom as a passionate woman who loved them deeply and always pushed them to put God first, strive for excellence in school, their careers and relationships and never settle.  To her friends and extended family, Irma was dependable, trustworthy, loving and caring.  

Several siblings preceded Irma to the great beyond: Clarence, Noel, Phyllis, Kenneth, and Lennox. She also leaves to mourn: Margaret, Claudette, Patrick, Peter, Andrella, Susette, and Lancelot; Dozens upon dozens of nieces, nephews, and cousins; and a host of good friends in Guyana and the U.S.

May her name be found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.