·        Passing of former Member of the Legislative Assembly Mrs Leola Esterleen Ebanks to be marked with a funeral service on Saturday, 9 May.

·        The service will be streamlined in line with current restrictions under the Public Health Regulations (2020).

·        Mrs Ebanks represented West Bay as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1976-1980. She was also the first female representative of West Bay.

·        Cayman flags will fly at half-mast on the two days before Mrs Ebanks’s funeral.

GRAND CAYMAN (GIS) – On Saturday, 9 May, a service of thanksgiving will be held to commemorate the life of former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Mrs Leola Esterleen Ebanks, known affectionately as “Mrs Esther”.

As a result of her public service to the Cayman Islands, Mrs Ebanks, who passed away on 23 April 2020, is entitled to receive an official funeral. However, due to current restrictions in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the service offered will be a streamlined version of the standard official funeral, in order that social distancing rules can be maintained at all times. A more substantial memorial service will be held at a later date.

The pared-back service of thanksgiving will follow a period of lying-in state at the Legislative Assembly on Friday, 8 May 2020, during which family members and legislators will maintain six feet of distance from one another. Members of the public will not be able to attend the lying-in-state in person, due to the shelter-in-place provisions, but will be able to follow proceedings live on CIG TV and YouTube.

Then, the hearse carrying Mrs Ebanks will precede the Hon. Speaker, district representatives and family members. The final drive-through will mark her time served as representative of West Bay and will be carried live on Radio Cayman. Persons who live along the route are encouraged to stand in their doorways or yards to wave, but should be mindful of maintaining social distancing protocols.

The funeral service will then be held, for immediate family only, at 1 p.m. at the Church of God Chapel George Town on Academy Way on Saturday, 9 May with the interment to follow at the Garden of Eden Cemetery on Pedro Castle Road. All attendees will observe social distancing practices. The service will be aired live on CIG TV YouTube only; the full farewell proceedings will be available on CIG TV from next week.

Tributes were paid to “Mrs Esther,” the first female representative of West Bay, during the most recent sitting of the House on Thursday, 23 April. She represented West Bay as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1976 – 1980.

Current and former post-holders of the most senior public service positions are entitled to receive the honour of an official funeral. The Ceremonials Committee is currently working closely with Mrs Ebanks’s family to coordinate these services during this extraordinary time.

Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose JP remarked: “Mrs Esther embodied the very essence of public service; she worked assiduously to serve her constituents in West Bay, as their very first female legislator. Her many contributions in both public and private life made a profound impact across the wider Caymanian community. I invite members of the public to join us on CIG TV to honour the life of a deeply respected member of our community.”

  Members of the public are invited to pay their respects by signing an official book of condolence via http://boddenfuneralservices.com/condolences.php.

Cayman flags at the Government Administration Building and other Government buildings will be flown at half-mast on Thursday, 7 May and Friday, 8 May.