Moving tribute paid to a popular teacher
HOW to love language, music and pluck a perfect eyebrow – you could say Lorena Henriquez taught pupils at Wellington High School a thing or two about life.
Hundreds gathered for the funeral of the popular Spanish and English teacher at Wellington’s Sacred Heart Cathedral yesterday to celebrate the lively woman who inspired those around her – and knew how to rock a great high heel.
A sparkly black pair took pride of place atop her coffin during the service, where there was standing room only as more than 400 family, friends and pupils gathered to pay their respects.
Ms Henriquez, a 39-year-old single mother, died suddenly in her sleep on Monday, from what is believed to have been an undiagnosed brain tumour. A full coroner’s report is expected to give more details.
Her son, Saul, 14, was one of the pallbearers who carried her flower-laden coffin into the church, where her brother Jose Henriquez spoke of the shock of losing his sister.
The past four days had been a whirlwind, he said.
‘‘I just couldn’t believe it . . . the tears and the regret, it’s just a great loss.
‘‘She was a warm, wonderful person; she was very caring, very giving, and had open arms which touched just about everyone in Wellington.’’
Fellow Wellington High School teacher Mike Kingston said he knew he would always get an honest answer to the question ‘‘Como estas?’’ [How are you?] from Ms Henriquez, who wore her heart on her sleeve.
‘‘If she found something funny, which was often, she would tip her head back with glee and laugh that laugh we all know so well, that you could hear from all the classrooms.’’
She was the kind of teacher who could relate to the pupils – whether admonishing girls for badly plucked eyebrows, or taking the boys on skating trips – while still retaining discipline and authority.
Pupils had held their own memorial for her at school during the week, he said.
‘‘We heard how she wasn’t just a Spanish and English teacher, but she also gave important lessons on makeup, shoe style and rock music.
‘‘She passed on her enthusiasm for language, for Latin American culture and for the Foo Fighters.
‘‘Saul, we know how much your mum loved you because she spoke about you so often with such pride. She spoke about your successes as if they were her own, and I guess they were.
‘‘You are unlucky to have lost her, but lucky to have had a mum who loved you so deeply.’’
Best friend Emily Telfer said Ms Henriquez ‘‘wore confidence,’’ and swept everyone around her up into her fastpaced life.
‘‘From the wings of her perfectly arched eyebrows to the tips of her fantastic heels, she was fabulous.
‘‘Not into the darkness goes our Lorena, but out into the blinding light of the universe.’’
In a homage to Ms Henriquez’s love of music, Green Day’s Time of Your Life was played as a montage of photographs flashed up on a giant screen.
Prayers were said in both English and Spanish, with Chilean ambassador Isauro Torres Negri paying his respects.
And when it came time to say goodbye, the smoky tones of Bon Jovi – in a heartfelt rock cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah – said it all.