Donald Trump and children mourn Ivana Trump at funeral in NYC
Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump were among those who gathered in New York City on Wednesday to mourn the death of Ivana Trump, his first wife and mother of his three eldest children, who died last week after falling in her home.
Her children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, their spouses and grandchildren also attended the private service at St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church.
They watched as pallbearers carried her casket from a hearse and up the steps of the church on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
There was heavy security outside the church, with Secret Service agents screening guests as they arrived.
Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump were expected to deliver eulogies at the service.
The former president, his wife and their son, Barron, were seen exiting the church as the casket was carried and driven away.
In lieu of flowers, the family requested that attendees donate to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a charity whose mission is to end dog homelessness.
Ivana Trump was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in her Upper East Side townhouse on July 15. A medical examiner said an autopsy revealed that the 73-year-old dieddue to "blunt impact injuries" to the torso. There was no indication of foul play.
Ivana Trump, née Zelnickova, was born on Feb. 20, 1949, in then-Czechoslovakia and became a competitive skier.
In 1971 she married Alfred Winklmayr, an Austrian ski instructor and friend, so she could obtain Austrian citizenship — and leave Czechoslovakia, which was communist, according to her lawyer at the time. They divorced in 1973.
She then moved to Canada, where she worked as a ski instructor and model. She met Donald Trump during a modeling trip to New York City in 1976. They were married the following year.
The Trumps’ relationship was often fodder for the tabloids. They divorced in 1992, following his affair with actress Marla Maples.
After their divorce, Ivana Trump launched several business ventures, including a line of clothing and beauty products, penned a long-running advice column called "Ask Ivana" and published several books, including her 2017 autobiography, “Raising Trump.”
She had two other short-lived marriages, one to Italian entrepreneur Riccardo Mazzucchelli (1995-97), the other to Italian actor and model Rossano Rubicondi (2008-09).
Her wedding to Rubicondi was hosted by Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Ivanka Trump was her maid of honor.
