Edna, a former first lady of Delta State and wife of the first civilian governor of Delta State, Olorogun Felix Ibru, has passed away.
Edna, a former Miss Nigeria and the first Nigerian/African to represent Nigeria at Miss Universe in 1964, died in London after a brief illness on Wednesday.
She had two children for Ibru who was the first democratically elected executive governor of Delta State between 1991 to 1992.
Dr. Paul Aidido Ibru, the head of the Ibru family confirmed the passage of the former first lady in a statement on Saturday.
According to him, “Our amazing mother, Mrs. Edna Ibru, passed into glory on Wednesday 15, January, 2025 after a brief illness”.
“Until her death, she was full of life and we never expected her to leave us so soon but we cannot question the will of God in her precious life”.
“She was a lover of people, a mediator, a mother to many, outrageously humorous, deeply caring, down to earth, full of stories all of the time, and we will miss her very dearly.”
He added that her burial arrangement would be announced by the family in a later date.
A fascinating and extraordinary woman, Edna Park was crowned the eighth beauty queen at the prestigious Miss Nigeria Pageantry in 1964. At the youthful age of 19, she made history by being the first Nigerian or African to represent her nation at Miss Universe.
Her appearance in the worldwide beauty contest, however, took a surprising turn when she passed out on stage, creating quite a sensation.
The event happened immediately after the announcement of the finalists, and Park’s name was not one of them. The young Itsekiri saleswoman, overcome with disappointment, was unable to control her tears and fainted on stage, requiring assistance to leave.
After crying for two hours, a doctor gave Park sedatives, and he was then taken to the hospital for overnight observation.
The audience was left with a lasting impression of her dramatic competitive journey, which solidified her place in Nigerian beauty pageant history.
The former Nigerian ambassador’s wife, Nneka Onyegbula, reportedly consoled Edna by saying:
“All the judges are White, and they aren’t really competent to judge dark girls’ beauty.”
Ms. Park was surprised by the harsh criticism she received in the Nigerian media after her return.
It’s important to note that the tenacious queen ended up becoming Miss Nigeria’s last contestant at the Miss Universe pageant.
The former beauty queen discussed how her reign attracted many suitors in an interview with This Day. Despite having two children with Olorogun Felix Ibru, the former governor of Delta state, Edna Park made the unexpected choice to not wed him.
Ibru eventually paid her dowry after her father’s death because he wanted to take part in the customary funeral rites, Edna said in the interview.
