Vilma Baugh: The strength and love of a woman
Published:Friday | September 20, 2019 | 12:11 AM
Melanie Schwapp, the only daughter among three children for Kenneth and Vilma Baugh, yesterday used a tribute to her father to also pay homage to their mother.
The two had been together as man and wife for 54 years until the death of the former surgeon and politician on September 1.
As Schwapp reminded the mourners who turned out for her dad’s service of thanksgiving at the University Chapel at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, the funeral was being held in hallowed ground for the couple.
Kenneth and Vilma were best friends from their student days on the UWI campus and did everything together, eventually exchanging wedding vows inside the University Chapel.
“My mom told me that Daddy was the warm blanket around her shoulders, no matter how cold and harsh the world got,” Schwapp recalled.
However, things changed when Baugh got ill about four years ago and eventually lost the ability to communicate with words.
“Now, you have been Daddy’s blanket,” Schwapp pointed out, her voice almost breaking. “You took such good care of him. You never left his side in sickness or in health.
“When you shaved and brushed his hair, he would always hold your hand and would always say, 'Thank you'. He was blessed by you as you were with him.”
For Schwapp and her brothers, Warren and Gregory Baugh, they were witness to and part of an enduring love story – “One we got to witness every day.
"Such a gift for my brothers and I see to the love that created us last,” she shared.