The death of a longtime canteen operator has plunged past and present University of Guyana (UG) students into mourning.
Muriel Thomas, 59, of Friendship, East Coast Demerara, passed on Boxing Day, while being treated at the Woodlands Hospital.
According to her husband, Patrick McRae, she had been suffering from a type of cancer for a while before she succumbed to the illness.
Thomas, the mother of six children and a number of grandchildren, was described as a loving woman by her husband. He further said that the family was saddened by the loss but added that they are doing “okay.”
Past and current UG students were also in mourning as they remembered Thomas, known as “Ms Muriel,” as a loving and compassionate friend.
Thomas had opened her canteen next to the largest lecture rooms on the Turkeyen Campus. However, she was not only a canteen worker as she ended up becoming a friend, advisor and even mother-like figure to some.
On some social media pages, persons shared posts about Thomas in which they noted that she was a friend who would be dearly missed, while others were still coming to grips with her passing. There were heartfelt posts that spoke of her guidance to students and kindness to them, while some even shared memories just to give persons who might not have known her an idea of who she was and her compassion.
Among those posting condolences to Thomas’ family was the official UG Facebook page, which described her as an institution at the university campus.
McRae said Thomas will be laid to rest this coming Sunday at 12.30 pm at the Grace Assembly of God’s Church, located at Lot 58 Friendship, East Coast Demerara.
