A LARGE congregation yesterday paid final respects to Mrs. Christobel Ariantze Hughes at a service of thanksgiving at St. Andrew’s Kirk on Brickdam
Mrs Hughes died after a vehicular accident last Sunday, when the car she was driving was struck by another vehicle with a driver who was under the influence of alcohol.Mrs Hughes was born on November 12, 1930, to Christopher and Doris Deane. She was the first of eight children, wife of the late Clarence Hughes, mother of Attorney- at-Law Nigel, Elizabeth and Stuart Hughes, and grandmother of Astrid, Suraya and Deane Hughes. She was also mother-in-law of Member of Parliament Catherine Hughes

She sadly met her demise on August 16, 2015, after a vehicular accident in which a young man who was driving under the influence of alcohol collided with her vehicle.
Among the hundreds gathered at the church were President David Granger, former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and several ministers of Government.
Among those who paid tribute to the late Mrs. Hughes were the Seniors’ Committee of The Bishops’ High School old Students’ Association, the Guyana Heritage Society, Women Reaching Out, the Guyana Association of Administrative Professionals, and Former Prime Minister of Jamaica P.J Patterson (read by Mrs. Catherine Hughes).
In his eulogy, Mr. Nigel Hughes described his mother as being a “tough cookie” who always pushed him and his siblings to be academically inclined and never to miss a day of school.
She was a well-educated and motivational person, who after her years in primary school won a scholarship for The Bishops’ High School and there met many who became her lifelong friends.
He added that subsequent to completing her secondary education, she attended the then Teachers’ Training College, after which she taught at several high schools, particularly the one at which she once studied.
During her career as a teacher she was assigned to teach in Berbice where she met her husband, but she returned to Georgetown after which she departed for the University of the West Indies (UWI); there she achieved an Upper Second Honours Degree in History and completed a number of post- graduate degrees.

Upon returning in 1961, she became the first female to be appointed a manager at Bookers Universal Store, which was deemed a major achievement at that time.
“Little did she know that the person she met in Berbice before she left for UWI would reconnect with her, and on June 24, 1964, she exchanged vows with him, Clarence Hughes.
“They travelled the world together and tried their utmost to visit every historic, religious city around the world,” said Hughes.
Being an advocate for education, as years went by Mrs. Hughes was not satisfied with the education system, when all schools were taken over by the Government.
“She took over as the chairperson for the St. Stanislaus Old Boys Association and merged the PTA, as she began her fight for a better education system,” he said.
His mother engaged in many discussions with the then Minister of Education, during which they argued about the capacity and state of the education system, while deliberating on the way forward.

Mrs. Hughes was also the leading figure in several charitable organisations, such as the Caribbean Council of Churches, Women Reaching Out, the Red Cross and many more.
Her three grandchildren who sadly never got a chance to see her, remembered her as a charismatic person, who would always encourage them to remain in school and work hard to achieve their goals, doing so via the telephone and Skype conversations.
In other tributes, other persons remembered the late Mrs. Hughes as a patriot of the highest level, who championed the Guyanese heritage to the best of her abilities and she had fought for preservation of the trees along Main Street.
After a very moving funeral service, the body was taken to Good Hope on the East Coast of Demerara for cremation.

By Navendra Seoraj