A great woman

Thrust into a life of politics through her husband’s career in the Nationalist Party, Mary Fenech Adami, who passed away yesterday, remained, first and foremost, a family woman and a mother.

Known to have always been a people’s person and approachable, the former First Lady, passed away aged 77, six days after suffering a heart attack on Saturday evening, leaving behind her politician husband, five children and 10 grandchildren.

Born in 1933, Mrs Fenech Adami née Sciberras, married former President and Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami in 1965.

A former chairman of the Malta Community Chest Fund, she had been receiving treatment for cancer after being diagnosed with the condition a year ago and was undergoing surgery.

Following her collapse at the wedding reception of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s son at Girgenti Palace, she remained critical, fighting for her life at Mater Dei Hospital for six days and drawing sympathy and prayers from the nation.

Mrs Fenech Adami was a much-loved figure. Throughout her life, she was a devout Catholic who dedicated a great deal of time to caring for others, also enduring hard moments during her husband’s long, political career.

The wife of the longest-serving Prime Minister since Independence, she supported him as heushered a major period of change for Malta.

As First Lady between 2004 and 2009, she had preferred to live in her Birkirkara home rather than move to San Anton Palace and enjoy the prestige of other presidential residences.

In an interview in 2007, she had told The Sunday Times: “I’ve lived my life around people and know the trials and tribulations that life holds and I’ve always tried to help others... I am very patient and always ask God to give me more patience. I enjoy helping people. You forget about yourself and focus on helping someone else.”

In another interview with The Sunday Times in February 2009, to mark her husband’s 75th birthday, Mrs Fenech Adami had reminisced about how being the President’s wife had been full of lovely events. “The only drawback has been that since he took on this post I had to be doubly careful over what I say.”

Speaking about her husband’s plans once he retired she had joked: “Once he retires I’m going to teach him how to cook because he said he is keen to prepare some meals for me... As if! I can never see it happening (laughs heartily). He loves pasta but all he does is boil the water and then time it exactly so that it’s cooked al dente. I’m not pinning my hopes on his cooking.”