Yvonne's Final Farewell
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Friday, June 8th, 1984
Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral
Santiago, Chile
The temperature hovered in the mid-fifties & there wasn't any humidity in the air. It was a fair summer day in Santiago as dignitaries & others gathering to commemorating the late First Lady of Chile. The day, was not dawning, was soon to behold the pageantry that was typical of such an occasion. Gerald Enriquez, already awake, sipped his coffee & was eating a light breakfast alone as the sun came into view. He was sitting at the kitchen table of the Summer Presidential Residence, Palace of Cierro Castillo in Vina del Mar.
Gerald's first obligation that day was to give his wife the dignified farewell that she deserved. In the meantime, the rest of the Enriquez family was heading their way towards the Summer Presidential Residence to meet Gerald before they headed toward to attending the festivities; Various Cabinet & elected officials arrived at the old National Congress Building, where the Lying in Repose would took place for the week of June 2nd-June 7th. Everyone in attendance saw off the casket of the late Chilean First Lady Yvonne Enriquez: flag-draped with the Chilean national flag, the casket steadily approached towards the doors of the old National Congress Building. The military Honor Guard carrying it outside paused. The Chilean National Anthem was being played as the Cannon Salute was commenced.
The first seven Cannons pierced the sky.
Holding his niece, Patricia Enriquez's hand, Gerald's mind drifted to memories of his father, Gerald Vincent Enriquez, Sr., his beloved father. He could see the image of his father, wearing a cowboy hat. All he remembered that his father had seen & done. In those final moments of his father's life, Gerald felt the weight of his father's legacy falling onto him. Most Chileans remember the senior Enriquez for any reason other than serving in the Chilean Army, winning elected office in the Chilean Chamber of Deputies for six years then serving in the Chilean Senate for thirteen years before serving as Minister of National Defense during the administration of then-President Carlos Ibanez del Campo including serving as Chilean Ambassador to Brazil.
Enriquez was raised at a time of intense fundamental change in South America & Latin America overall. On his deathbed, Gerald, Sr., had summoned his son, Gerald, Jr., to bring him his ledger books, not so he could give his son guidance on debts to collect, but instead, choosing to canceling the debts altogether of all those who owed him money.
Seven more Cannons pierced the sky & Gerald shivered.
The flag-draped casket sat still as Gerald considered his father's expectations. His father's heightened standards of excellence------of constant perfection. The senior Enriquez's belief that one should finish what they had started. Gerald Vincent Enriquez, Sr., was a simple man, hardworking public servant from a small ranching town, but he possessed great hopes & dreams, & he expected his son, Gerald, Jr., to meeting these expectations.
The final round of the Cannons bursting from the howitzers.
Gerald squinted his eyes into the curiously, brightened sky, considered his wife was lying dead in the casket that was slowly creeping down the steps of the old National Congress Building as the Marine Corps Band played. He thought about the woman he met during the 1972 Miss Universe pageant, he had loved dearly & cherished Yvonne for every moment they had together for 11 years of marriage; & how, in the final three years, Gerald conspired to keep the truth of Yvonne's terminal undisclosed illness from her due to political optics. His mind would also drift again to his father & what Gerald Enriquez, Sr., would've said to his son in such a moment. As the casket marched forward, nearing the hearse, Gerald realized what it was his father would be telling him: finish what you've started.
Then, all of the official dignitaries in Santiago gathered for the Ceremonial Funeral of Yvonne Enriquez at the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral on Friday, June 8th. Besides Gerald & the Enriquez family including Yvonne's family; several foreign dignitaries were in attendance, Gerald wore a pained expression throughout the entire service, especially at the beginning as congregants milled about awaiting the arrival of Colombian de-facto First Lady Ivette Quintero (the daughter of Colombian President Lieutenant General Seymour Quintero). The conspiracy to keep Yvonne from finding out the truth of her undisclosed illness began to slowly emerge in dribs.
Yes, Yvonne had some sense that something wasn't right------it wasn't known yet that she had any idea of the terminal cancer diagnosis as early as June 1981------& Gerald, as far as he was concerned, believed it would be strong & beneficial politically that Yvonne would never find out whatsoever. He wanted to keep her pumped up full of medications, causing her to have memory lapses & losses.
The rest of the day unfolded in splendid melancholy. The entire time, Gerald gripped his niece's hand. There were three eulogies that day: The first came from Brazilian First Lady Dulce Figueiredo; the second came from Colombian de-facto First Lady Ivette Quintero & the third came from Gerald himself, who praised his wife as "The President that Chile should've had" & he credited her to encouraging him to taking on the task of the Chilean Presidency during the height of the Civil War (1978-1981).
Following the festivities, the final Cannon Salute was fired by the Field Artillery Regiment of the Chilean Army outside of the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral including a flyover from the Chilean Air Force during the Flag Presentation part of the Ceremonial Funeral. Gerald was given the folded Chilean national flag from Chilean National Defense Minister Lieutenant General Alfonso Michelsen. After the Funeral Mass, Yvonne's casket was carried out of the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral & driven through the streets of Santiago before leaving the TV cameras as it drove toward the secluded outskirts, the TV coverage ended. Gerald & the Enriquez family gathered at a private family gathering at the Palace of Cierro Castillo in Vina del Mar.
While things slowly went back to normal in Chile, the eccentric embalmer Olga Kuenpeck of Sweden was slowly & methodically working on making Yvonne more beautiful no matter how long it took.
Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral
Santiago, Chile
The temperature hovered in the mid-fifties & there wasn't any humidity in the air. It was a fair summer day in Santiago as dignitaries & others gathering to commemorating the late First Lady of Chile. The day, was not dawning, was soon to behold the pageantry that was typical of such an occasion. Gerald Enriquez, already awake, sipped his coffee & was eating a light breakfast alone as the sun came into view. He was sitting at the kitchen table of the Summer Presidential Residence, Palace of Cierro Castillo in Vina del Mar.
Gerald's first obligation that day was to give his wife the dignified farewell that she deserved. In the meantime, the rest of the Enriquez family was heading their way towards the Summer Presidential Residence to meet Gerald before they headed toward to attending the festivities; Various Cabinet & elected officials arrived at the old National Congress Building, where the Lying in Repose would took place for the week of June 2nd-June 7th. Everyone in attendance saw off the casket of the late Chilean First Lady Yvonne Enriquez: flag-draped with the Chilean national flag, the casket steadily approached towards the doors of the old National Congress Building. The military Honor Guard carrying it outside paused. The Chilean National Anthem was being played as the Cannon Salute was commenced.
The first seven Cannons pierced the sky.
Holding his niece, Patricia Enriquez's hand, Gerald's mind drifted to memories of his father, Gerald Vincent Enriquez, Sr., his beloved father. He could see the image of his father, wearing a cowboy hat. All he remembered that his father had seen & done. In those final moments of his father's life, Gerald felt the weight of his father's legacy falling onto him. Most Chileans remember the senior Enriquez for any reason other than serving in the Chilean Army, winning elected office in the Chilean Chamber of Deputies for six years then serving in the Chilean Senate for thirteen years before serving as Minister of National Defense during the administration of then-President Carlos Ibanez del Campo including serving as Chilean Ambassador to Brazil.
Enriquez was raised at a time of intense fundamental change in South America & Latin America overall. On his deathbed, Gerald, Sr., had summoned his son, Gerald, Jr., to bring him his ledger books, not so he could give his son guidance on debts to collect, but instead, choosing to canceling the debts altogether of all those who owed him money.
Seven more Cannons pierced the sky & Gerald shivered.
The flag-draped casket sat still as Gerald considered his father's expectations. His father's heightened standards of excellence------of constant perfection. The senior Enriquez's belief that one should finish what they had started. Gerald Vincent Enriquez, Sr., was a simple man, hardworking public servant from a small ranching town, but he possessed great hopes & dreams, & he expected his son, Gerald, Jr., to meeting these expectations.
The final round of the Cannons bursting from the howitzers.
Gerald squinted his eyes into the curiously, brightened sky, considered his wife was lying dead in the casket that was slowly creeping down the steps of the old National Congress Building as the Marine Corps Band played. He thought about the woman he met during the 1972 Miss Universe pageant, he had loved dearly & cherished Yvonne for every moment they had together for 11 years of marriage; & how, in the final three years, Gerald conspired to keep the truth of Yvonne's terminal undisclosed illness from her due to political optics. His mind would also drift again to his father & what Gerald Enriquez, Sr., would've said to his son in such a moment. As the casket marched forward, nearing the hearse, Gerald realized what it was his father would be telling him: finish what you've started.
Then, all of the official dignitaries in Santiago gathered for the Ceremonial Funeral of Yvonne Enriquez at the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral on Friday, June 8th. Besides Gerald & the Enriquez family including Yvonne's family; several foreign dignitaries were in attendance, Gerald wore a pained expression throughout the entire service, especially at the beginning as congregants milled about awaiting the arrival of Colombian de-facto First Lady Ivette Quintero (the daughter of Colombian President Lieutenant General Seymour Quintero). The conspiracy to keep Yvonne from finding out the truth of her undisclosed illness began to slowly emerge in dribs.
Yes, Yvonne had some sense that something wasn't right------it wasn't known yet that she had any idea of the terminal cancer diagnosis as early as June 1981------& Gerald, as far as he was concerned, believed it would be strong & beneficial politically that Yvonne would never find out whatsoever. He wanted to keep her pumped up full of medications, causing her to have memory lapses & losses.
The rest of the day unfolded in splendid melancholy. The entire time, Gerald gripped his niece's hand. There were three eulogies that day: The first came from Brazilian First Lady Dulce Figueiredo; the second came from Colombian de-facto First Lady Ivette Quintero & the third came from Gerald himself, who praised his wife as "The President that Chile should've had" & he credited her to encouraging him to taking on the task of the Chilean Presidency during the height of the Civil War (1978-1981).
Following the festivities, the final Cannon Salute was fired by the Field Artillery Regiment of the Chilean Army outside of the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral including a flyover from the Chilean Air Force during the Flag Presentation part of the Ceremonial Funeral. Gerald was given the folded Chilean national flag from Chilean National Defense Minister Lieutenant General Alfonso Michelsen. After the Funeral Mass, Yvonne's casket was carried out of the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral & driven through the streets of Santiago before leaving the TV cameras as it drove toward the secluded outskirts, the TV coverage ended. Gerald & the Enriquez family gathered at a private family gathering at the Palace of Cierro Castillo in Vina del Mar.
While things slowly went back to normal in Chile, the eccentric embalmer Olga Kuenpeck of Sweden was slowly & methodically working on making Yvonne more beautiful no matter how long it took.
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