Ivanka Trump delivered an emotional eulogy at her mother Ivana Trump’s funeral on Wednesday, describing her as a “trailblazer to men and women alike”.
Czech-born businesswoman Ivana was remembered at a service held at the St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church on the Upper East Side of New York City, which is where she lived for decades.
Ivanka – the second child of Ivana and her second husband, former US President Donald Trump – praised her parent as an inspirational role model who “showed” her there was nothing a woman couldn’t achieve in the world.
She told mourners: “Growing up, my mother didn’t tell me a woman could do anything she wanted to — she showed me.
“She was a trailblazer to men and women alike.
“My mother once told me there was nothing she couldn’t do in heels. She taught us how to spear fish and then cook what we caught. My mom expanded our minds.”
Ivanka, 40, also recalled following her mother around Trump Plaza as she oversaw operations in the 1980s and admitted she would cherish the wonderful times they shared together.
Holding back tears, Ivanka said: “Mom, I’ll always love you today and every day. You were and always will be the light of our lives.”
Ivana – who also had two sons, 44-year-old Donald Jr. and Eric, 38, with former spouse Donald – was remembered at a private service attended by approximately 100 mourners.
Her son Donald Jr. also gave a eulogy to his mother describing her as “fearless and independent” for “escaping the iron curtain” of then-communist Czech Republic and for shattering “so many norms” during her glamorous and engaging life.
Donald Jr’s teenage daughter Kai and Eric and his wife Lara, also spoke at the memorial as well as family friends Dorothy Curry and Dennis Basso.
Eric said: “She had brains; she had beauty. She was the embodiment of the American dream… She was a force of nature.”
Donald, the 45th President of the United States, did not speak but sat in the front row with his wife Melania and their 16-year-old son Barron as he remembered his first wife, whom he was married to from 1977 to 1992.
Ivana – who also pursued a career as a model and was a competitive skier – tragically died on July 14 at the age of 73 after accidentally falling down the stairs at her Manhattan home.
