La Romaine chef, 51, remembered as humble, selfless

Torn by grief, an elderly woman repeatedly tapped on the coffin that held the body of her 51-year-old daughter Marlene "Margarita" Nelson and called on her to get up.

"Marlene! Marlene! Come out from there. It's not fair. It's not fair. Lord have mercy," said Rosabell Brown-Nelson.

The 70-year-old was inconsolable at her daughter's funeral at Revival Mission at George Street, La Romaine, on Friday afternoon.

Nelson, a chef from La Romaine, died at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) last Saturday. On June 2 she was injured in an explosion at her workplace, Zaza Steakhouse and Grill, at the Southern Main Road in La Romaine. No one else was injured.

Nelson was the single mother of three. In July 2014, one of her sons, Marcus Lawrence, 20, had a heart attack and died while playing football at Skinner Park, San Fernando.

At her funeral, her two surviving adult children Laverne and Marli Henry sat near the coffin.

Nelson’s goddaughter and cousin, Mary Vincent, gave the eulogy, saying Nelson's death had brought immense pain to the family.

"It’s hard to say goodbye. We wish her life did not end in the manner it did. She has left a legacy of love and perseverance. She took great pride in being a mom. She did everything to make sure family is taken care of. The role of mother was the most important thing to her," Vincent told mourners.

Several people paid tribute, describing Nelson as a humble, kind and caring person.

One said, "She was never in any bacchanal. Marlene was a loving person. It is sad to see the good ones leave. No one knows when it is his/her time. I am so sorry it happened to her."

A former neighbour from Duncan Village, San Fernando, referred to Nelson as a very hard-working and quiet woman who loved her children.

The neighbour said: "I remember her friend became incapacitated after an accident. She would often attend to that friend. We need more people like that in this world, pleasant, humble and selfless."

A friend from Icacos, Cedros, said she will forever remember Nelson.

A mourner identified as Stephanie encouraged Nelson’s children to stay focused on God, as "He is the one to carry them through."

Deacon Easton Lynch reminisced that Lawrence had a "hard-working spirit" like his mother.

"His goal was that one day his mother would no longer have to work as hard as she did. The morning of the explosion, Marcus was the first person who came to my mind."

Nelson was buried at the Roodal Public Cemetery at Broadway, San Fernando.