Dwight Yorke’s mom dies at 70
By Rhondor Dowlat (T&T Newsday)GRACE Yorke, mother of local football star and former Soca Warrior player, Dwight Yorke passed away at the age of 70 on Wednesday night, minutes after she was airlifted from the Scarborough General Hospital, Tobago to the St Joseph Medical Associates hospital.
Newsday was told that Dwight was at her bedside when she passed on.
Efforts to reach Dwight for comment proved futile. However, when contacted Soca Warrior coach, Russell Latapy, said that Dwight was with him and that he was “not in a good mood to say anything at this time.”
A source close to Dwight said that it is not yet known what Yorke died from, but said that she was ailing for some time.
The source said that a week ago Yorke was taken to the doctor with symptoms of a flu for which she received treatment. He added that a few days later the decision was taken by the family to take her to the Scarborough hospital. The source added that after being there for 13 hours on Monday and being treated for the flu, a decision was taken again to have her flown to Trinidad for further treatment.
While undergoing treatment at Medical Associates and while awaiting test results, Yorke succumbed to her illness.
Yorke, was a hotel cleaner at one time, and her husband Fulton, a dustman, and together they had nine children, including Dwight, who was born on November 3 1971. Dwight is currently still in Trinidad with other family members making arrangements to have her body flown to Tobago for burial.
Yorke's mother passes away
T&T ExpressGrace Yorke, mother of Trinidad and Tobago's assistant football coach Dwight Yorke, passed away early yesterday morning.
National team manager David Muhammad said yesterday that Yorke's mother had died during the early hours yesterday morning at Medical Associates in St Augustine.
"His brother called me trying to get in contact with him (Dwight), before he was able to get in contact with Dwight on another phone," Muhammad told the Express. "That would have been about 3 a.m."
Yorke's mother, who lived at Canaan in Tobago, had been ailing for some time and had been flown to Trinidad by helicopter for treatment just before her death.
Yorke took his place alongside T&T head coach Russell Latapy and the national team reserves during Trinidad and Tobago's 2010 World Cup qualifier against Mexico on Wednesday night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain. The game ended in a 2-2 draw.
"He is the ultimate professional. On the field his delivery is very loud and confident when he is on the job (as T&T assistant coach)," Muhammad said.
"But around the dinner table he often spoke of her and her condition. Dwight was totally consumed by her state of health over the past few days."