Drowned teen laid to rest

THE Morne Diablo Anglican church was packed both inside and outside at yesterday’s funeral for 16-year-old drowning victim Nikeila Ayana Rogers. Rogers’ mother Judy-Ann George, who lives in the United States, could not make it back home in time to attend the funeral. Rogers was George’s only child. Rogers was dressed all in white and lay in a coffin, lined with white velvet. Delivering the eulogy at the service, Rogers’ close friend, Natasha Blanche, remembered her as “loud and outspoken, someone who loved herself and was never careless.” Officiating at the funeral was Father Selwyn Nurse, who reminded the gathering, “We cannot deny the reality of life. Death continues to perplex us.”

He pleaded with the congregation, “Let us  do something to honour Nikeila’s life as she would have wanted us to. Do not allow sorrow to overshadow the wider picture.” The funeral was attended by several of Rogers’ classmates from the Siparia Senior Secondary School. In their grief, the crying students held onto each other, sometimes even sharing the same handkerchief to wipe their tears. One cried loudly, “Nikeila left me and gone!” Following the service, Rogers was buried at the Batchyia Cemetery. Nikeila drowned while bathing last Saturday at the Morne Diablo beach. Her best friend Rafi Fermin also drowned.