'Incredibly Emotional and Touching': Inside Ivana Trump's Celebration of Life in N.Y.C."My mother hated funerals," Ivanka Trump said while delivering a eulogy. "She wanted to celebrate life"People, Jul 20, 2022
Ivana's funeral Mass was invite-only, limited to close friends and family, which created a sense of genuine community and celebration among guests, Hay says.
It was a scorching afternoon in New York City on Wednesday as the Trump family gathered at St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church to mourn Ivana Trump's sudden death last week. Inside the church, guests settled in to honor her life and legacy in a way friends say she would have loved.
"The room was filled with joy and drenched with tears," society columnist R. Couri Hay, who attended the service, tells PEOPLE, noting that the tone managed to capture the dichotomy of emotions that come with a celebration of life.
Before the altar lay a mound of red roses surrounded by 73 burning candles — one for each year of Ivana's life.
Ivana Trump funeral inside
https://app.asana.com/0/1202556224425358/1202639449439572Ivana's funeral Mass was invite-only, limited to close friends and family, which created a sense of genuine community and celebration among guests, Hay says.
Ivanka went on to share several funny memories about Ivana, shedding tears along the way.
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump also delivered eulogies about their mother, in addition to two of Ivana's friends.
Former President Donald Trump — Ivana's ex-husband and father to her three children — did not get up to speak during the event, though he appeared visibly saddened leaving the service.
At the Wednesday Mass, her former magazine covers were on display, a reminder of the glamour she oozed throughout her life. "Majestic and elegant," Hay says, just like her.
https://people.com/politics/inside-ivana-trump-funeral-mass/
