Nature yesterday seemed to hold its breath for a while as the hot humid day rapidly transformed into a cool windy afternoon by the time Lady Bustamante was interred at Heroes Park - in the same spot that her late husband Sir Alexander was buried 32 years ago. Dignitaries and the common man alike remembered Lady B as one who gave selflessly towards the building of the nation.

While there was no fountain of tears for the matriarch nor were there crowded streets of well-wishers, Lady B was given a royal send-off befitting the life of dignity she led for 97 years.

During yesterday's service, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that "if Jamaica needed a role model of loyalty, selflessness, of not only the man she adored but the case for which she struggled and the people for who she fought, we need to look no further than Lady B."

"She laid no claim to aristocracy, she was the epitome of humility, a lady who walked with kings and queens, dozens of presidents and prime ministers and yet never lost the common touch," the prime minister added.

Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller said that Jamaican women owe a debt of gratitude to Lady B as she gave them more than a reason to hope.

Beliefs cherished

Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said Lady B, throughout her life, "held steadfastly to her cherish beliefs and never once compromised her standards".

But perhaps it was Edward Seaga who captured the role of Lady Bustamante in the country's development. Seaga said Lady B's journey was a "fulfilment of the Jamaican dream of rural people".

"If ever there was a woman who was indeed created from man, Lady Bustamante was the mould from which a soulmate was made," Seaga said.

Kavan Gayle, president of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union; Lloyd Goodleigh, president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Union; Seraj Lakasingh, Lady Bustamante's caregiver; and Evelyn Sangster-Barnes all spoke fondly of Lady B.

The Reverend Donald Reese, who delivered the sermon, urged the nation take a leaf from Lady Bustamante's book.

Along the streets where scores of well-wishers gathered, the sentiments were not different. Old women and old men, the middle aged and the very young all had more than a few nice words to say about the lady.

Along Old Hope Road, one man removed his old straw hat and bowed as the hearse bearing her remains passed. "There goes a true patriot!" he shouted.