Former Birkirkara mayor Joanne Debono Grech dies at 57
'A woman of great determination' - Prime Minister leads tributes
Updated 8.12pm with funeral details
Former Birkirkara mayor Joanne Debono Grech has died at the age of 57 after losing a long battle with cancer, her family announced Thursday.
Writing on Facebook, her daughter councillor Yana Borg Debono Grech said her mother had fought “bravely with a cruel disease for so long.”
“Despite the pain and problems, you still remained there for us and were a model of perseverance until the end. Rest in peace Ma,” she wrote.
Joanne Debono Grech served for more than a decade as Birkirkara’s mayor, her tenure lasting from 2013 until last year. She was also a longstanding Labour councillor and minority leader in the same locality.
She continued to serve as mayor despite ongoing health difficulties.
Debono Grech is the daughter of former Labour Party minister and ex-PL deputy leader Joe Debono Grech.
Prime Minister Robert Abela called her loss a "very heavy one", describing the late former mayor as "a woman of great determination" that throughout her life had shown "unparalleled resilience".
"She was never a person to feel sorry for herself; rather, she looked ahead and sought how she would help others while having her own health difficulties", the prime minister said.
In a statement, the Labour Party said Debono Grech was "an important voice in activism and internal structures within the party".
"Birkirkara was everything for her. She worked tirelessly in the community. Joanne Debono Grech was a great woman who loved the people and fought her illness till the end," the PL said.
The Birkirkara Local Council expressed its “sorrow for the loss of former Mayor Joanne Debono Grech. Condolences to the entire family and we pray for courage at this difficult time in their lives”.
In a statement, the council remembered Debono Grech as a "person of integrity, dedication and service to the Birkirkara community".
"Throughout the years she served as Mayor, she showed strong leadership and respect towards everyone who worked with her or turned to her for assistance,"the council said.
The funeral will be held on Saturday at 11.30am at St Helen's Basilica in Birkirkara. As a sign of respect, the administrative office of the Birkirkara local council will be closed all day on Saturday.
Transport Malta paid tribute to Debono Grech who worked there for several years with the Port Safety Department, extending its condolences to her family and friends "during this difficult time".
Fashion designer Charles Van Maarschalkerweerd Borg remembered how as mayor, Debono Grech had made "one of my dreams come true, having a fashion show in our beloved Birkirkara town".
Former Labour leader Joseph Muscat saluted Debono Grech as "one of the most strong-willed people I have ever met in my life".
"Strong-willed in politics. Strong-willed in her personal life. Strong-willed in fighting for her health. She inherited this determination from her father, Joe, whom I appreciate more as time goes by. A strong will that she passed on to her daughter, Yana, who will surely make her proud."