Obituary of Dhelon Raynold

Dhelon Curtis Neilssen Raynold was born at the Rudolfinerhaus Private Hospital in Vienna, Austria, on 25 April 1986. His parents, Dawn Edwards-Raynold and Curtis Raynold had moved to Austria the year before when his father was first recruited to serve at the United Nations Office there.

In Vienna, Dhelon was baptized and confirmed at Christ Church, the Anglican Church in Vienna, where, from 1986 to 2003, he was an active member, serving as an acolyte and lector, and participated in a range of other activities. 

Dhelon spoke fluent German with native speaker proficiency having attended an Austrian kindergarten from the age of three.  He then moved on to the Vienna International School (VIS) in 1991, where he completed his elementary and middle school education in 2003. An avid sports man, Dhelon actively participated in a range of sporting activities at VIS, excelling in both track and field and soccer. It was at the VIS, that Dhelon established the foundation of his vast network of friends from around the world with very strong bonds of friendship and camaraderie that exist to this very day. 

In 2003, the family moved to New Jersey when Dhelon's father was transferred to the United Nations Headquarters. In New York, he attended The Dwight School at Central Park, West, where he completed high school and International Baccalaureate studies. Dhelon continued to excel in sports at the Dwight School where his most notable sporting achievement was breaking a long-standing school record for the 100 meters sprint in 2004. Dhelon graduated from The Dwight School in 2005.

In 2005, Dhelon was admitted to Drew University, Madison, New Jersey where he pursued studies towards a BA, majoring in Political Science with double minors in European Studies and German. After graduating from Drew University in 2009, Dhelon began taking courses in the Division of Continuing Education of Harvard University towards a Master's degree in International Relations. At the time of his passing, he had completed a significant number of course credits and was working on a draft thesis proposal focused on St. Lucia's Diplomatic Relations with Taiwan.

A true cosmopolitan, Dhelon began his international career in 2009, with internships at St. Lucia's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, UN-Habitat, and the World Youth Alliance (WYA). Over the years, he undertook various assignments at the European Union Headquarters in Brussels and at its New York Office. In the non-profit sector, Dhelon had a short stint at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Market Women’s Fund, a Liberian NGO, at its international office in New York. Dhelon’s last assignment was with the United Nations Department of Operational Support from September 2018 to February 2019 when he became ill. 

Dhelon's was the consummate Global Citizen with multiple nationalities inherited from his parents namely the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia. In his short time on earth, he had lived and worked in Austria, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and the United States amassing a vast and diverse network of friends and colleagues from around the world. He will be sorely missed.