KINGSTON, Jamaica — Member of Parliament for Portland Eastern Ann-Marie Vaz, her sibling Trisha Williams-Singh and other members of their family are in tears today following yesterday’s passing of the family’s matriarch and their grandmother Eva May Wright.

Having recently survived a massive heart attack and a bout of pneumonia, Wright died peacefully yesterday. She was 99.

Grandma Eva had figured prominently in the campaign by Vaz to capture the Portland Eastern constituency in a recent by-election.

At that time Vaz repeatedly spoke of the grounding that she received from her grandmother and the desire to make her proud.

“All that I am, I owe to grandma. She is my rock. She made me believe that anything I set my mind to and worked hard for, I could achieve. She made me dream big. She has given me an unshakable sense of self, which has carried me through the trials and tribulations in my life,” Vaz declared.

Grandma Eva, was featured in an ad for Vaz’s campaign where she spoke about the difficulties her granddaughter faced while growing up in Duff House, which is situated on the border of St Elizabeth and Manchester.

There was drama as Vaz was sworn in as a member of parliament as grandma Eva had to be lifted in to Gordon House which did not have the facilities to allow the smooth entrance of persons in wheelchairs.

Arthur Hall