UDP Deputy Secretary General Evalee Skeen Engleton passed away suddenly yesterday at the party headquarters.
The Secretary General holds broad responsibility in party organization - and Skeen was a beloved figure in the UDP. Tributes have appeared across social platforms to honor her memory and her larger than life energy.
We spoke with UDP Leader, Tracy Panton who said that Skeen did all the heavy lifting when election time was near:
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
"We are profoundly saddened and deeply devastated by the passing of our, sudden and unexpected passing of our Deputy Secretary General of the United Democratic Party, Ms Evalee Skeen Engleton. She, the UDP is an institution but Evalee in an institution unto the institution. She has been here for almost 20 plus years she is, she was the kind of the light, the heart of the day to day operations of our UDP secretariat, always serving with a smile, love, with wit. She was very passionate about the work she did for the UDP and for all 31 constituencies. She handled all the mechanics, all the heavy lifting making sure the voters list was in place make sure she dealt with all the administrative work that we had in a very timely and efficient manner."
"And so this a huge loss for us we are still trying to process it. It is a huge loss for her three daughters, for her 2 grandsons for her parents for her brothers for her extended family and friends, we were not expecting it we did not see it coming. The incident happened here in our headquarters."
"And so as I was driving home last night I said this morning Evalee was making coffee and tonight she is in a morgue, the reality of that really strikes, it stabs at your soul."
"I will remember Evalee just as a genuinely, caring, loving and supportive friend. You know yesterday when I came in she asked if I wanted Coffee and she made a pot of coffee for us to share and I didn't get around to drinking the coffee because I got busy and so when I was leaving she said but party leader I made you the coffee and you didn't have some and I said you're right and I turned back and I am so so glad I did that, and she and I sat in this office and we had a cup of coffee and we shared the pot of coffee. And had I not done that...yeah."
Skeen was 59 and had three daughters.
