Senior Reporter
andrea.perez-sobers@guardian.co.tt
Ministry of Trade and Industry communications manager, Ria Rullow-Bowyer, died on Tuesday after being warded at the intensive care unit (ICU) at El Salvador National Hospital for over a month.
Contacted by telephone yesterday, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Randall Karim, indicated that Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon, who is currently in Canada leading trade mission and the entire staff of the ministry, were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ria.
“She was not only a competent corporate communications professional but also someone deeply committed to advancing the work of MTI for the last 15 years. She was a loving and loyal friend, mother and wife, and woman of faith with a great sense of humour. Our lives have been enriched through knowing and working with her over the years,” Karim stated.”
A GoFundMe account was set up in August to be able to cover medical expenses and accommodation costs in El Salvador where she was warded.
Her husband, Jay Bowyer, in the GoFundMe post paid tribute to his wife. “Together, Ria and I have two boys to whom she has always been a loving and selfless mother, a faithful wife, and a hardworking professional who puts her all into anything she undertakes,” he expressed.
Bowyer explained that Rullow-Bowyer received clearance from her doctors to travel to El Salvador to support their son as he represented T&T in a chess tournament.
He added that she was determined to be present for their son, however, after the first flight, she began to feel unwell and was unable to attend the tournament games and her condition deteriorated which led to her hospitalisation.