TelEm Group organize emotional ‘guard of honour’ to welcome home body of late colleague Stella Aarndell
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Family and friends signing the condolence book set up in the TelEm Group main building lobby, Pond Island, on behalf of their late colleague, Stella Aarndell. (photo contributed)
POND ISLAND – A fleet of TelEm Group vehicles, joined family friends and many company personnel in an emotional ‘guard of honour’ to escort the body of their late colleague, Stella Aarndell, who passed away in Colombia recently following a period of illness.
The guard of honour escorted Ms. Aarndell’s body from the Princess Juliana International Airport to the Royal Funeral Home early Saturday morning.
On the way, they made an emotional and tearful stop at the TelEm Group branch in Simpson Bay, where Ms. Aarndell worked as a Lead Supervisor. They also made stops at the TelEm Group branch at Le Grand Marche and at the Main TelEm Group building on Pond Island.
Staff organized the escort as a mark of respect to the company’s longest-serving employee with more than 40 years of service.
Ms. Aarndell was the company’s first female employee when it was formerly Landsradio, and was the first Customer Service Manager when the company became the Sint Maarten Telephone Company N.V.
She has been described as a much-loved and dedicated employee who was especially sought out by customers because of the way she interacted with them and attended to their needs.
Close members of the family thanked all the TelEm Group staff who turned out Saturday and did not miss an emotional high-point or the morning when a shower of rain began to fall when the honor guard pulled up at the Simpson Bay Branch.
“She will be happy with the love that is being shown for her from everywhere,” one family member said.
Meantime TelEm Group staffers have set up a condolence book for their late colleague in the lobby of the TelEm Group main building on Pond Island and are inviting customers and friends who have known Stella over the years to pay tribute to her in words.
The condolence book will be presented to Stella’s family at a later date as a treasured keepsake to show that she was much loved throughout the company and also by the many, many customers she came into contact with.
The funeral service for the late Stella Aarndell will be officially announced by her family members.