… passes on in the USA

by Ras Wadada

THE football fraternity of Guyana, around the world, was yesterday morning greeted with the sad news that Guyana’s 1986 ‘Sports Personality-of-the-Year’, Maria ‘Yvonne’ Niles passed away in Georgia, USA.
‘Mother’ Niles as she was more affectionately called, was the wife of the late past national footballer (50s and 60s) George ‘Father’ Niles and mother of former youth and senior national, Keith ‘Wila’ Niles (70s).

Her presence at football matches from the mid-fifties up to early 2000s was distinctive and in her own words, ’football fan for life’.
The former Pele FC vice-president who turned 80 years on August 6 of this year was also an Honorary Life member of the Georgetown Football Club (GFC). She migrated to the USA in 2002 and lived in Georgia with her son Keith up to the time of her death.

Mother Niles, who is the foster sister of former National captain and coach George Green, leaves to mourn her four children and grandchildren.
The Management and Staff of the Guyana Chronicle, whom the late Mrs Niles represented at dominoes, would like to extend deepest condolences to the bereaved.