A 'beauty-ful' reunion up there

This time last year, Funfare’s “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas made a list of local and foreign beauty queens who have gone ahead, including: 

• 1929 Miss Philippines Carnival Pacita de los Reyes-Phillips (Nov. 14, 1911-March 10, 2005).

• 1935 Miss Philippines Carnival Conchita Sunico (Dec. 8, 1913-Aug. 1, 1990). 

• 1953 (first) Miss Aviation Joji Felix-Velarde (Oct. 4, 1935-May 22, 2009), also the first Miss Caltex (Miss RPM Supreme).

• 1964 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Myrna Panlilio (Nov. 19, 1942-July 16, 2009).

• 1977 Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Rio Diaz (Aug 14, 1959-Oct. 3, 2004). 

• 1977 Bb. Pilipinas-International Pinky Alberto (Feb. 14, 1956-Oct. 27. 2005).

• 1979 Miss Young-Pilipinas Maria Teresa Carlson (1963-Nov. 23, 2001).

• 1980 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Chat Silayan (July 8, 1959-April 23, 2006).  

• 1981 Miss Maja-Pilipinas Josephine Bautista (Nov. 27, 1960-Sept. 30, 1998).

• 1993 Bb. Pilipinas-International Sheela Mae Santarin died at 28 in Nov. 2003 of complications purportedly resulting from post-natal liposuction surgery. 

• 2009 Bb. Pilipinas-International Melody Gersbach (Nov. 18, 1985 – Aug 21, 2010).

• 1955 Miss Universe Hillevi Rombin-Schine of Sweden (Sept. 14, 1933-June 19, 1996). 

• 1956 Miss World Petra Susanna Schurmann-Starnberg of Germany (Sept. 15, 1933-Jan. 13, 2010). 

• 1961 Miss World Rosemarie Frankland of United Kingdom (Feb. 1, 1943-Dec. 2, 2000). 

• 1984 Miss Poland Magdalena Jaworska, died at 33 on July 8, 1994.

• 1991 Miss International Agnieszka Korlatska-Swiatek of Poland (Aug. 15, 1972-Aug. 27, 1996). 

• 1993 Miss Mauritius Viveka Babajee (May 23, 1973-June 25, 2010).

• 1994 Miss Argentina Solange Magnano (Dec. 2, 1971-Nov. 29, 2009). 

• 1997 Miss India Nafisa Joseph (March 28, 1978-July 29, 2004).

Celso has updated the list. Here it is: 

Local beauty queens

• 1908 (first) Carnival Queen Pura Villanueva (Aug. 26, 1886– Mar. 21, 1954), of heart attack.

• 1909 Carnival Queen Julia Agcaoili, of rare bone disease on Aug. 8, 1945.

• 1912 Carnival Queen Paz Marquez, of natural causes in 1983 at the age of 89.

• 1913 Carnival Queen Julia Arceo, of nervous breakdown due to depression on Nov. 18, 1975, at 80.

• 1916 Carnival Queen Manolita Barreto, of liver ailment on May 25, 1965 at 65.

• 1917 Carnival Queen Mela Fairchild, of cancer in 1967, at 69.

• 1918 Carnival Queen Enriqueta Aldanese, the queen who reigned in three carnivals (Cebu Carnival in 1914, Zamboanga, 1915 and Manila, 1918), of old age at 80s.

• 1920 Carnival Queen Trinidad de Leon, the first Carnival Queen to become First Lady (to President Manuel Roxas), died of natural causes on June 20, 1995, at 90.

• 1925 Carnival Queen Carmen Papa, of cardiac arrest due to asthma on June 7, 1970, at 64.

• 1926 Carnival Queen Socorro Henson (Aug. 29, 1907–Feb. 2, 1984), of throat cancer.

• 1926 (first) Miss Philippines Anita Noble (1906–Aug. 14, 1979), of cancer.

• 1931 Carnival Queen Maria Kalaw (Feb. 14, 1911–Dec. 10, 1992), complications from diabetes.

• 1932 Carnival Queen Emma Zamora, of health problem due to child-bearing on March 20, 1943, at 30.

• 1936 Carnival Queen Mercedez Montilla, born on July 14, 1915, died in mid-1990s of natural causes.

• 1937 Carnival Queen Maria Carmen Zaldarriaga, born in 1920, died in 1990s of natural causes.

• 1938 Carnival Queen Guia Balmori (Nov. 13, 1920-Dec. 12, 2006), of natural causes.

• 1939 Carnival Queen Iluminada Tuason, of childbirth in 1949.

• 1956 Miss Philippines Edith Merced Nakpil, of cancer on Aug. 26, 2009, at 74.

• 1959 Miss Press Photography Milagros Sumayao (a.k.a. Mila Ocampo), of emphysema on Jan. 6, 2010, at 68. Mila was also a finalist in the first ever Bb. Pilipinas pageant in 1964.

Foreign beauty queens

• 1921 (first) Miss America Margaret Gorman (Aug. 18, 1905-Oct. 1, 1995), of cardiac arrest and pneumonia.

• 1922 Miss America Mary Katherine Campbell (Dec. 18, 1905-June 7, 1990), of natural causes. 

• 1924 Miss America Ruth Malcomson (Apr. 16, 1906–May 25, 1988), of natural causes.

• 1925 Miss America Fay Elinora Lanphier (Dec. 12, 1905–June 21, 1959), of viral pneumonia. She was also 1925 Rose Queen.

• 1926 Miss America Norma Descygne Smallwood (May 12, 1909–May 8, 1966).

• 1927 Miss America Lois Eleanor Delander (Feb. 14, 1911–1985), of natural causes.

• 1933 Miss America Marian Bergeron (May 3, 1918–Oct. 22, 2002), of leukemia.

• 1935 Miss America Henrietta Leaver (Mar. 28, 1916–Sep. 18, 1993), of cancer.

• 1936 Miss America Rose Veronica Coyle (July 30, 1914–Feb. 1988), of natural causes.

• 1938 Miss America Marilyn Meseke (Oct. 7, 1916–Sep. 12, 2001), of natural causes.

• 1941 Miss America Rosemary LaPlanche (Oct. 11, 1923–May 6, 1979), of natural causes.

• 1946 Miss America Marilyn Buferd (Jan. 30, 1925–Mar. 27, 1990), of pancreatic cancer.

• 1947 Miss America Barbara Jo Walker (Mar. 12, 1926–June 7, 2000), of natural causes.

• 1949 Miss America Jacque Mercer (1931–Feb. 2, 1982), of natural causes.

• 1952 Miss America Colleen Kay Hutchins (May 23, 1926–Mar. 24, 2010), of lingering illness.

• 1954 Miss America Evelyn Margaret Ay Sempier (Mar. 8, 1933–Oct. 18, 2008), of colorectal cancer.

• 1955 USA Carlene King Johnson (May 31, 1933–1968), of complications of diabetes at the age of 35. Carlene was a semi-finalist in the 1955 Miss Universe contest.

• 1957 Miss Puerto Rico Maria del Pilar Mercado Cordero (Aug. 4, 1939-Jan. 1, 2006), of cancer. Cordero was voted Miss Congeniality in 1957 Miss Universe pageant won by Gladys Zender of Peru.

• 1977 Miss West Virginia Patricia Ramsey (Dec. 29, 1956–June 24, 2006), of ovarian cancer.

• 2005 Miss Deaf Texas Tara Rose McAvoy, on March 13, 2006 after being struck by a train. She was 18.

• 2007 Miss Brazil and model Mariana Bridi Costa (June 18, 1988–Jan. 24, 2009), from complications related to a generalized infection caused by the bacteria — pseudomonas aeruginosa. Her hands and feet were amputated. She was adjudged as Miss Body Beautiful in 2007 Miss Bikini International. 

• 2008 Miss Moldova Maria Bujor, in a car accident in Romania on Jan. 9, 2009, at 23.

• 2009 Miss Hawaii Teen USA Sheryl Wolfe (Oct. 16, 1991-Apr. 19, 2010), of massive stroke while sitting in her classroom. She was also 2009 Miss Hawaii Teen Princess.

• Child beauty queen JonBenet Patricia Ramsey (Aug. 6, 1990–Dec. 25, 1996), of murder. 

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