Less the two months after her husband, former prime minister George Chambers was posthumously awarded the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the nation's highest award, Juliana Chambers collapsed and died at her home in Santa Margarita, St Augustine, on Thursday.
Vice chairman of the People's National Movement Camille Robinson-Regis broke the news to a meeting of the party in Diego Martin about two hours after Chambers died. Described as "a perfect lady" by her niece Lou Ann Moo King, Chambers died in the bathroom of her home. She was 81.
Moo King said her aunt was determined to attend the convention of the People's National Movement at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, next Saturday. Her last public appearance was at the PNM's 50th anniversary flag-raising re-enactment ceremony at Balisier House on August 30.
Family sources said shortly after 7 pm on Thursday, Chambers went to her bathroom. She had planned to listen to the PNM's Diego Martin meeting which was broadcast live on the radio. Chambers' daughter Andrea Wilson noticed her mother was in the bathroom longer than usual and called out to her but got no response.
She left the residence to get a relative who assisted in opening the locked bathroom door and found Chambers unconscious. An ambulance was summoned but she was later pronounced dead at her home by a DMO. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said it was with "sadness and regret" she learned of Chambers' passing.
"She was a consummate professional, having worked as a senior officer in the banking industry but supported her husband with quiet dignity and decorum," Persad-Bissessar said. The former Juliana Jacobs, sister of former Guardian Editor Carl Jacobs, married Chambers in 1956, He eventually became T&T's second prime minister. It was the same year he entered politics and joined the PNM. Hedied on November 4, 1997, at age 69.
Chambers is survived by her only child, Andrea, brothers, Carl and Lloyd, and her sister Ruby Reyes. She will be cremated after a service at Clark and Battoo's, Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain, Monday.