Following several glowing tributes testifying to her kindness, generosity and wealth of knowledge, Phyllis Carter, the wife of Guyana’s late poet laureate Martin Carter, was yesterday laid to rest.

A photograph of Phyllis Carter which was on display at her funeral yesterday.

Mrs Carter died last week Thursday evening at the St Clair Medical Centre in Trinidad after a brief illness. She was 77 years old.

She was married to Martin Carter, who died in 1997, and together they had four children Dr Keith Carter, Sonia Dolphin, Howard Carter and Michelle Saywack. Mrs Carter was also foster mother to Greg Van Sertima and Alison Bulkan. She was the grandmother of fourteen.

Yesterday, a few hundred people gathered to pay tribute to a woman who had left an indelible impression on all who knew her.

Delivering the eulogy at the funeral was Joseph Dolphin who spoke of the unselfish and caring nature of Mrs Carter. He recounted that just before her death she was preparing to answer the call to assist the victims affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Dolphin noted that this was characteristic of Mrs Carter who was always willing to serve.

Relatives of the late Phyllis Carter bearing her coffin out of the church building.

He noted that she was an excellent wife to her husband and an outstanding mother to her four biological children and the two others who she served as a mother figure to. He noted that she displayed great patience and fortitude. She was also a concerned person who paid key attention to every detail, he stated.

Her granddaughter Maria Eugenia Carter described her grandmother as a woman whose “generosity knew no bounds”.

During an emotional delivery, the young woman recalled that her grandmother loved to help others and noted that she always encouraged all her grandchildren to help the less fortunate. Another grand daughter Kristine Carter reflected on the suddenness of Mrs Carter’s passing but said she gained comfort knowing that her grandmother was now in the company of her grandfather.  She too recounted the love, care and selflessness that Mrs Carter demonstrated.

In another tribute, Joan Rodrigues, a representative from the Board of Directors of the Cheshire Home Committee, noted that Mrs Carter had given over 20 years of service as a volunteer to that body.

Although Mrs Carter was one of the older members on the board, Rodrigues recounted that she was always full of energy and displayed a youthful exuberance.

Curator of the Castellani House Elfrieda Bissember recounted that as a member of the Castellani House Committee of Management, Phyllis Carter had a wealth of knowledge and a great passion for the arts and culture. She noted that during her stint on the committee, which she served on from 2008, she made several useful contributions.

During the funeral service, the gathering recited Martin Carter’s popular poem “Death of a Comrade”. In the years following her husband’s death Mrs Carter had read this poem at the funeral services of distinguished members of society.

Meanwhile, longtime friend of the Carters, Dr Ian Mc Donald read one of Martin Carter’s poems “Tomorrow and the World”, which he remarked was one of Mrs Carter’s favourites.

After the funeral service, Mrs Carter’s remains were interred at the cemetery of Our Lady of Assumption Church, at Hague on the West Coast Demerara.