Nassau, Bahamas -- Hundreds of mourners filled Christ Church Cathedral to bid farewell to Edith, Lady Turnquest, wife of former Governor General Sir Orville Turnquest and mother of Minister of National Security the Hon Tommy Turnquest during a State Recognized Service of Thanksgiving on Thursday, May 21.

Among those paying their respects were the Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes; Prime Minister the Rt Hon Hubert Ingraham; Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett; Cabinet Ministers; Parliamentarians; Senators; members of the Judiciary; former Governors General; senior government officials; members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF); members of the Bahamas Christian Council and other religious leaders including Archbishop Patrick Pinder, Catholic Bishop and Assistant Bishop the Most Rev’d Drexel Gomez.

Family, friends and members of various local organizations were also in attendance.

Officiating the service was the Rt Rev Laish Boyd, Bishop of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands and Very Rev Patrick Adderley, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral and Rev Fr Michael Gittens, Priest Vicar.

Parliamentary pallbearers were Senator the Hon John Delaney, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs; the Hon Lawrence Cartwright, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources; the Hon Desmond Bannister, Minister of Education; the Hon Phenton Neymour, Minister of State in the Ministry of the Environment; Sen the Hon Allyson Maynard-Gibson, leader of the Opposition in the Senate; the Hon Frederick Mitchell; the Hon Glenys Hanna Martin and the Hon Obediah Wilchcombe.

A Bahamian flag draped Lady Turnquest’s coffin as members of the Police and Defence Forces escorted it into the church.

Prime Minister Ingraham remembered Lady Turnquest as a nation-builder who committed herself to performing to the best of her ability in various roles to which she was called upon or volunteered to serve.

“She was an example to the nation of what can be achieved through hard work, commitment, loyalty and a sense of public duty,” he said.

He said the nation came to know Lady Turnquest best when she served as wife of the Governor General of The Bahamas.

“In public view, she performed the duties of that office with dignity, grace and charm. She and Sir Orville travelled the length and breadth of this nation and the wider world and made friends in every strata of society. She was a model ambassador for our country.”

Speaking on behalf of the family, Minister Turnquest said his mother’s love for and commitment to God were shown in her faithfulness to the church.

He described his mother as “strong”, “confident” and “forthright”. He said she was the “true matriarch” of the family.

“She was the centre of our family. She was our confidant, our rock, our comforter, and our greatest supporter. She was our every thing.

“She taught us about love, life, responsibility and family. She ensured that we understood the values of hard work, commitment and loyalty.”

Dean Adderley said Lady Turnquest was a God-fearing, Christian woman who would be “greatly missed”.

“She has touched so many lives. Hers was a life marked by faith, love, tenacity, a spirit of diligence, a sense of purpose and commitment; an example for all of us.

“Lady Edith Turnquest was a patriotic Bahamian of which we all can be truly proud. She conducted her public obligations and duties with dignity and grace,” he said.

Following the church service Lady Turnquest’s coffin was hoisted on a bier by members of the Police and Defence Forces as a procession including family, friends and pallbearers travelled from Lowe’s Pharmacy on Solider Road to Woodlawn Gardens.

After a graveside service the coffin was placed in a mausoleum at the entrance of the graveyard.