Dame Olga Lopes-Seale brought hope in deeds and words to hundreds of Barbadians over six decades.
This morning, the moving strains of Ronald Binge’s Elizabethan Serenade wafted through the sanctuary of the St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral while the oakwood casket bearing her mortal remains was borne up the aisle, a soothing and sobering reminder that the voice of “Yours Truly Olga” was now stilled.
From Prime Minister Freundel Stuart to some of the needy who had been beneficiaries of her lifelong work of generosity, hundreds turned out for the service of farewell.
Chief Executive Officer of Starcom Network Vic Fernandes led the list of people officially paying tribute to the charity worker, broadcaster par excellence, grandmother and friend.
“Her work in ministering in a tangible and measurable way to the needs of the poor, deprived, neglected and marginalised stands out above all else” he said, as he reflected on his long association with Dame Olga.
Others paying tribute included Rafiq Khan and grand daughter Anne Bancroft-Jones.
