Former First Lady Joyce Hoyte was a quiet and private person, but she loved a good conversation and had an unpublished passion for charity. She also played a critical supporting role to her husband, the late president Hugh Desmond Hoyte throughout his political life.
This was how she was remembered yesterday and the quiet funeral service at St Andrew’s Kirk Presbyterian Church mirrored the solitude she embraced in her life, particularly after her husband died in 2002. Mrs Hoyte passed away on Monday and a small gathering of close relatives and friends turned out to pay their final respects.
Reflecting on her life, some recalled her grace and humility and others the passion she had for books, history and politics. There was talk of Mrs Hoyte the “glamour girl” and “historian in her own right,” while some reflections recalled the significant role she played as closest friend, confidante and advisor to her husband.
Mrs Hoyte was eulogised by PNCR member Carl Greenidge as the backbone of steel behind the late president Hoyte and as a woman who intensely followed politics here and internationally. The party and Mrs Hoyte did not always see eye-to-eye, Greenidge said, but he noted that she held strong political views. He said too that she rarely missed an opportunity to raise issues of concern when she was in the company of people with a similar passion.
Greenidge said she cherished her personal space and always had the same answer when people enquired about her wellbeing. “I can look after myself, thank you very much,” was her usual response, he said, noting that she was very capable. He said tragedy was no stranger in her life, but she coped well and continued to give of herself. According to him, she viewed misfortune as a necessary experience.
Dr Faith Harding, delivering an emotional tribute to Mrs Hoyte, called her a woman of substance whose womanhood was defined by intelligence, loyalty, commitment and love. “So many times we laughed over the journeys of life when we should have been crying,” Harding said, her voice cracking.
Harding was a close friend of Mrs Hoyte and she recalled how nurturing the former First Lady was. She said Mrs Hoyte was authentic in everything she did and that she lived her life with dignity and with love. Harding said too that she had a rare strength of character. “She was a friend, advisor and counsellor… she also had this uncanny ability to remember people she met with details as to where and how,” Harding added. She called Mrs Hoyte a historian in her own right, while saying she was a reservoir of information on life in Guyana and its politics.
Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira, who delivered a tribute on behalf of the government, called on local historians to commence research projects on “women who played critical supporting roles in the development of the country.” She named Mrs Hoyte, in addition to former President Janet Jagan and Mrs Viola Burnham as outstanding women who made valuable contributions.
Teixeira said she never personally knew Mrs Hoyte, but recalled meeting her when former President Desmond Hoyte was hospitalised in New York. She said that Mrs Hoyte was a strong woman who faced the tragedies in her life with grace and humility.
She also spoke of the union between Mr and Mrs Hoyte, noting their marriage was an enduring one. Teixeira said the former First Lady was there at his side as a close partner, soul mate and confidante.
Vibert Parvattan said Mrs Hoyte was a dear friend, whom he admired for her devotion to and love for her husband. “She was protective of him and they were a very close couple…his death created a vacuum which was never filled,” he said, while recalling that the Hoytes shared everything.
He also recalled telephone conversations with Mrs Hoyte in recent years, saying that she had raised several concerns with him. He said she had acknowledged that many persons who were around when her husband was president were barely visible afterwards, and that she also spoke about the lack of caring, thoughtfulness and special consideration for her as a former First Lady.
In addition to the tributes, singer Russell Lancaster, who knew Mrs Hoyte for many years, delivered a moving performance of “Ave Maria” in Latin.
Mrs Hoyte was interred at Le Repentir Cemetery in proximity to her two daughters, Maxine and Amanda. The girls died in a tragic accident in 1985.
