Nydia Quintero, former First Lady of Colombia and grandmother of Miguel Uribe, passes away at 93.

Nydia Quintero de Balcázar, possibly the most recognized First Lady of Colombia in the last fifty years, passed away this Monday at the age of 93. This was confirmed by her granddaughter María Carolina Hoyos through a heartfelt message on social media. “Today, the sky welcomes a giant: the lady of solidarity. Thank you for being my mother in life, my refuge when I lost mine,” she wrote. The wife of conservative president Julio César Turbay was hospitalized at the Santa Fe Foundation in Bogotá, the same hospital where her grandson Miguel Uribe Turbay, the right-wing presidential candidate who suffered an attack in early June and has been fighting for his life since then, is being treated.

Quintero, in addition to being Turbay’s First Lady during his presidency (1978-1982), became known in the country for founding the Solidaridad por Colombia Foundation in the mid-seventies, a non-profit organization that has worked for the rights of vulnerable populations, especially in health and education. The NGO hosts a march every August, known as the Caminata de la Solidaridad, which attracts thousands of people and many political and entertainment personalities each year.

The philanthropist led the NGO for 41 years until her retirement in 2016. She was succeeded by her granddaughter María Carolina Hoyos, who has also honored this aspect of her grandmother: “Your mission was fulfilled with love. You leave us a living legacy: to do good, to live in faith, and to transform from values.”

Born in Neiva (Huila) and raised in a Catholic family, Quintero married her maternal uncle Julio Cesar Turbay at the age of 16. He was already a prominent liberal politician and a congressman at the time, and he was 32 years old. The marriage produced four children, including Diana Turbay, the journalist who was kidnapped and later murdered by order of Pablo Escobar. She separated from the former president in the mid-eighties and remarried a few years later to the also liberal politician Gustavo Balcázar, from whom she took her last name.

Quintero was hospitalized on Friday night at the Santa Fe Foundation due to a respiratory condition. She had been experiencing health complications for several months and was receiving full-time assistance from a medical team.

The Solidaridad por Colombia Foundation highlighted her in its obituary as “one of the most important and admired women in Colombia in the 20th century.” It also emphasized her legacy, by which “millions of Colombians have had a second chance.” To the NGO and its beneficiaries, she was known as Mamá Nydia.

The Colombian political class also mourned her passing. From the government, Chancellor Laura Sarabia sent her condolences to the Turbay family: “In moments like this, words are insufficient to ease the pain.” Meanwhile, Labor Minister Antonio Sanguino highlighted “her philanthropic work in the country.”

Former President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) also expressed his condolences: “An example of life, of service to the most needy. The permanent action of her life was solidarity, beyond the name of her Foundation Solidaridad por Colombia.” He expressed, “I confess that I write these lines with the effort to hold back tears that flood my heart.” Meanwhile, former President Iván Duque (2018-2022) emphasized her “generosity, commitment, empathy, and affection for the most needy.”