Phyllis Carter, the widow of Guyana’s poet laureate Martin Carter, has died. She was 77 years old.
Her sister-in-law Joan Fields said yesterday that Mrs Carter passed away on Thursday evening at the Mt Hope Hospital in Trinidad after a brief illness. According to Fields, after falling ill in Guyana recently, Carter was rushed to the Mt Hope Hospital in Trinidad where she underwent an operation. Fields said that at the time of her passing, Carter was in an unconscious state.
Carter’s passing comes just over 12 years after the death of her husband in December, 1997. The couple had four children: Dr Keith Carter, Sonja Dolphin, Howard Carter and Michelle Saywack.
Speaking about the life of her sister-in-law, Fields said Phyllis had been married to Martin Carter for over 50 years. She said apart from being a committed wife to her husband, she had also worked as a nurse at St Joseph’s Mercy Hospital. She was also a member of the Cheshire Home Committee and the Castellani House Committee of Management.
Curator of Castellani House Elfrieda Bissember expressed shock at the suddenness of Carter’s passing. She said the death was unexpected given her “youthfulness, energy and sharpness”. She said for the last two years Carter had served on the Castellani House Committee of Management and had made several contributions. According to her, Carter was esteemed by so many people and was pivotal in promoting various cultural ideas.
Bissember said Carter “had been at the centre of a lot of the intellectual activity in Guyana” especially given her closeness to her husband and his friends, who represented some of the brightest minds in the country.
She said in recent years Carter would read one of her husband’s more popular poems: “Death of a Comrade” at funerals of distinguished members of society. Bissember recounted that last year at Janet Jagan’s funeral, Carter had read the poem. The two of them had shared a close friendship, she disclosed. Outstanding Guyanese author, poet and academic Dr Ian Mc Donald remembered Phyllis Carter as a very good wife to his dear friend the late Martin Carter. According to him, Phyllis was a wonderful and kind woman who was extremely generous to him and his family. Mc Donald stated that Phyllis was a “tremendous support” to Martin, who had a strong dependence on her.
He said too that Phyllis had a clear interest in the arts and took great care in preserving the work of her husband. Martin Carter’s library and papers were still kept at the Carter Home, McDonald said. He said it following the passing of both Martin and now Phyllis, “it is very important for their memories that his papers and library are preserved…since they are an important part of our literary heritage.”
Carter’s body is expected to be flown back to Guyana and her funeral will most likely be held some time next week.