Final rites for siblings

RELATIVES and friends took turns bidding a final farewell on Wednesday at a joint funeral for the brother and sister who died hours apart last week.

At around 3 pm, two hearses arrived with the bodies of Natasha “Nysha” Sylverton, 43, and Linton “Boxer” Silverton, 47, at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Streams of Power at La Rufin Road in Moruga. Sobs were interspersed with laughter as mourners recalled happy times with the siblings.

A white and yellow casket with a glass covering contained Sylverton’s body while a red and black casket held her brother’s body. Resident Sebastian “Base” Malchan said the deaths not only surprised family, but the entire community.

“Nysha was a loving person if you knew how and when to approach her. She always spoke her mind. She would tell you how she felt. I know the loving side of her and she was very stylish,” Malchan said.

“Anything was anything with Boxer, Monday could fall on a Friday and he didn’t business. He was very quiet and humble. He was always willing to help. You could have called on him for anything and at any time. I know he did not know his sister died, they probably meet each other later asking, ‘What you doing here?’”

Sylverton, a mother of two and grandmother of one, died last week Monday at the Princes Town district health facility, she suffered a heart attack at home. Her brother died hours later at hospital where he was warded for TB.

The siblings’ sister Lisa Sylverton told mourners she would the two dearly. She referred to Linton as a “special child.”

“Boxer spent most of his childhood days in Marac, Point Fortin and Gran Chemin. Anywhere his nieces and nephews wanted to go, he carried them,” Lisa said.

Silverton owned a bar and lived at Gran Chemin. He did not have any children and his second wife died exactly a year ago from the day he died. The two were buried at the Gran Chemin public cemetery.