When Phyllis Bugnar was born, Trinidad and Tobago was more than 40 years away from becoming an independent nation. Next week the country celebrates its 55th birthday.
Bugnar had already celebrated her 55th birthday by the time T&T became a republic in 1976.
It is safe to say that Bugnar lived through much of this country’s history, including the Black Power movement and the 1990 attempted coup. She lived a long life.
However in March when Bugnar died at the age of 98, she died alone. Not much is known of Bugnar nor the life that she lived.
Her 98 years were reduced to simply a single line placed in a newspaper advertisement from the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) two weeks ago.
Bugnar was listed as one of four unclaimed bodies the NCRHA currently has stored in the mortuary of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) at Mt Hope.
The advertisement warned that if no one comes forward to claim the bodies of Bugnar and the others, the NCRHA will have no other choice but to dispose of them itself.
All we know of Bugnar is what was contained in that one line from the NCRHA—that she was a 98-year-old female who died at the EWMSC’s Hibiscus Suite on March 26. Her cause of death is unknown.
Her body has been stored at the mortuary now for over five months.
The Sunday Guardian went to the mortuary to try and piece the puzzle together to find Bugnar’s relatives or her next of kin. While some staff at the EWMSC proved genuinely willing to help in this regard, red tape has stymied our progress.
This media house is still awaiting a response from an email sent to the NCRHA about the situation.
Internet searches have proved unsuccessful and the name Bugnar is not listed in this year’s telephone directory.
We do not know where she lives, where she worked or if she fellowshipped at any place of worship.
The Sunday Guardian is now turning to you, our readers, for help.
Time is of the essence, as the NCRHA will either bury, cremate or give the body over to science eventually.
Bugnar’s family are not the only ones who are being sought though.
The NCRHA is looking for the families of Judith Phillip, 64, Monica Munroe, 77 and Sonny Thomas, 58.
Phillip died at the Caura Hospital on February 21 while Munroe and Thomas died at the EWMSC on March 9 and March 2 respectively.
All four bodies are being stored at the mortuary and Phillip’s body has been there for over six months already.