REMEMBERING A LADY EXTRAORDINAIRE: Romany “Romy” Tucker By Joe Van Langenberg

The sudden, unexpected & untimely passing of Romany “Romy” Tucker, filtered through like a bolt from the blue, given that she was well & truly on her way to recovery.

The news, needless to say, continues to impact in no small measure, on the wide circle of friends & acquaintances; the lives of whom this remarkable human being, touched with her dazzling smile, her mischievous sense of humour & sizzling repartee to match. Romy was a breath of fresh air. She was bright, breezy & always focussed on the positive, even when the chips were down; keeping her head, when others around her, could have been losing theirs & blaming it on her.

Not one to suffer fools gladly, she pulled no punches when it came to calling a spade, a spade. Nonetheless she did it without treading on anyone’s sensitivities in the process. Romy was one of five daughters born to Douglas & Joyce Ludekens, two parents who inculcated time- honoured values in the minds of their eight kids. Back in Sri Lanka at that stage,, times were tough. It certainly wasn’t a bed of roses. But they had each other. The love they shared, warmed the cockles of the family’s collective heart; underlying the need to seperate the grain & with a breath of kindness blow the chaff away.

What factually made Romy shine like a beacon in the night, was her willingness to lend a helping hand to anyone fallen by the wayside. She was blessed with virtues of compassion, understanding & empathy from a very early age. And those virtues endeared her to a legion of people from all walks of life, regardless of social standing & the like. Romy & her siblings grew up in the same neighbourhood as I did. I will always remember her, as I did the rest of her family members, with a great deal of affection. Romy was a very likeable person who devoted a great deal of time to anyone who needed a shoulder to cry on.

She was a stable prop to lean on, a sympathetic listener & one who steered those away from the boulevard of shattered dreams, giving them hope when there was only despair. She was a tower of strength & inspiration to those who were weak. Romy helped many with her unconditional acts of kindness. She was the champion & fierce protector of the underdog. Romy was my close friend & one I trusted implicitly, unhesitantly & unreservedly. My heartfelt condolences go out to her husband, children & loved ones in this hour of inconsolable grief. Romy was a devoted wife, loving mother, affectionate sister & a loyal friend, who would, without batting an eyelid, go out on a limb to aid others going through a rough trot. She was quite conspicuous in social circles; rendering yeoman service to the Rotary & Lions organisations.

May God give her immediate & extended family members the will to carry on. That is exactly what Romy would have wanted. When a family loses its matriach, life can never be the same. But it is paramount that life needs to go on, if those affected by her passing, wish to keep their sanity intact, while simultaneously keeping the flame of love burning deep within their hearts & minds. Goodbye Romy, you were undoubtedly in a league of your own; three times a Lady. But above all, A LADY EXTRAORDINAIRE. May you rest in peace in a land which knows no sorrow!