My wife Joan and all the Foulkes family join me in extending our heartfelt condolences to Nancy’s son, Sasha, her daughter, Patricia, her brother, Harry, her grandchildren and all her relatives and close friends.  We share in your loss.

Because of the circumstances of her birth and life, Nancy Oakes von Hoyningen-Heune, attracted much international attention.  Countless newspaper articles have been written about her, some with varying degrees of inaccuracy.

I should like, in the few minutes allotted to me, to speak not about the international celebrity, but about the kind and generous lady known affectionately to many of us as the Baroness, or just Nancy.

I should like to quote something George Herron said in 1915: “If the instinctual and repressed kindness of mankind were suddenly let loose upon the earth, sooner than we think would we be members one of another, sitting around one family hearthstone, and singing the song of the new humanity.”

I came to know Nancy late in life.  Nevertheless it was a wonderful thing to experience first-hand what I had heard from so many others for so long.

Although she lived abroad for many years,  the Baroness  had a deep and abiding love for The Bahamas and for Bahamians.

In this, she was much like her illustrious father, Sir Harry Oakes, who fell in love with this commonwealth of islands and made it the family home.

That was a most fortuitous event for The Bahamas since Sir Harry was not just content to live here.  He gave an impetus to the development of The Bahamas that has continued up to this day.

More than that, he earned the affection of thousands of    Bahamians of humble circumstances who recognized and appreciated his genuine personal interest in them.

Nancy’s love of country and countrymen, combined with her unrepressed spirit of generosity, worked many wonders over the years.

It made her a great ambassador for her country as well as a source of personal support and inspiration for hundreds of Bahamians.

Some of the things she did have assumed the dimensions of legend.  Such was the case in 1968 when a Bahamian athletic and cultural contingent went to Mexico to participate in the Olympics.

The late Sir Gerald Cash was chef de mission for the team   which included our star athlete Tommy Robinson, and our first gold medallist Sir Durward Knowles.

As you can imagine, our team did not have access to abundant resources.  But fortunately for them, Baroness Nancy was living in Mexico at the time.

She made sure the team had the necessities of home that were lacking at the Olympic Village, including extra blankets for the cool nights, and bottled water delivered daily.

“She really took good care of us,” said Tommy.  “She was obviously proud to be Bahamian.”

Then, of course, there was that fabulous morale-boosting party at her home which is still remembered with great relish by those who were there.

There is an art to giving, and Nancy mastered that art.  Her giving was not off-handed, it was not distant, and it was not out of a sense of noblesse oblige.

Neither was it always in response to need.  Sometimes it was obviously motivated by nothing grander than a desire to   bring a little enjoyment into a day for a friend:

A bouquet of flowers, a charming trinket, a rare book – small mementos of great regard.

Her giving in each case seemed personal and thoughtful, accompanied always by a part of her, as if to affirm that we are members of one another.

The Baroness had friends among royalty and nobility, and among the glitterati of film and theatre.

But wherever she was in the world, she had quality time for Bahamians from all walks of life.

In the late Fifties and Sixties her home in London was a veritable refuge for struggling Bahamian students.     Her housekeeper at the time was Mrs. Edith “Birdie” Morris, and from all accounts Mrs. Morris kept house and cooked more for the students than the Baroness.

Nancy not only entertained these young people in her home, she also exposed some of them to the delights of London’s high culture.  A few lucky ones, I hear, were treated to some fine dining as well.

Those of us who have had the privilege of serving in the Bahamas High Commission in London are acutely aware of the debt of gratitude we owe the Baroness.

Heads of mission, as well as diplomatic staff, benefited immensely from her support as well as her personal courtesies.

She opened doors for us, gave good advice and assisted with many initiatives, diplomatic and cultural.

When we decided to launch a Friends of The Bahamas Association in London, Baroness Nancy gave enthusiastic support, as well as list of influential people.

When we decided to expose London to some polished Bahamian talent at the historic Grosvenor Chapel, and other venues, she was equally supportive.

I am happy to say that this musical event has now become an annual fixture and has even moved to New York.

Among the talented performers are Joanne and Lee Callender, Cleveland Williams and Franz Hepburn.  You have heard the excellent musical tributes by Mr. and Mrs. Callender and Mr. Hepburn.

We all know that Bahamians love to party and the Baroness was no exception.  Since the 1968 Olympics party in Mexico, there have been many others put on in Nancy’s grand style.

Memorable among these, I am told, was a luncheon at the elegant Claridge’s Hotel for Sir Lynden and Lady Pindling on the occasion of Sir Lynden’s investiture.

Joan and I were also honoured by a most enjoyable reception at her home after a similar event in our lives.  And there were many more: birthdays, anniversaries and investitures.

In addition to her well-known hospitality, it was a joy just to visit with Nancy.  She was charming, witty, well informed and interested in everything.

She was a great conversationalist and loved to chat, sometimes at great length on the telephone, long distance notwithstanding.

We are all too aware that the human condition is fraught with difficulties and that no life is perfect.  But we are told that kindness makes up for our imperfections.

In spite of the ups and downs of her life, Nancy enjoyed living and hers was a life of beauty - and kindness.

It was a life for which many are thankful and a life well worth celebrating.  Nancy taught us how to sing the song of the new humanity.

May she rest in peace.