Ivana Trump’s funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at a centuries-old Gothic-style church a block from her Manhattan neighborhood. With its vaulted granite ceiling and tall, stained glass windows, the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer – on the borough’s expensive Upper East Side – will grace a funeral expected to be attended by a former president. A professional in her own right, Ivana Trump, 73, was the first of Donald Trump’s three wives. She was once his confidant and the mother of his three oldest children, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump. And while a guest list for the private service had not emerged as of Tuesday, signs suggest Donald Trump, 76, will accompany their three children to the Roman Catholic service planned for the lavish church where Andy Warhol once worshiped and funeral of a former rival. Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro also performed. The former president is widely reported to have remained on good terms with Ivana Trump, who was found dead Thursday at the foot of the spiral staircase of her mansion. Her death was ruled accidental by the New York medical examiner’s office, which said the cause was blunt force trauma to the torso sustained from the fall. In another sign of his planned presence, Donald Trump – who flusteredly combined the announcement of Ivana Trump’s death with a request for political donations – arrived in New York on Monday already dressed for a funeral. He wore a black suit as he and former First Lady Melania Trump sped from an SUV next to Trump Tower on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, where he has a penthouse apartment, the Daily Mail reported. Ivana Trump and then-boyfriend Rossano Rubicondi attend a New York Fashion Week event on September 7, 2007 Andy Kropa/AP There will be no more widows, weeping or otherwise, in the pews. Ivana Trump was married once before Donald Trump and twice after, but she outlived all three of those husbands. Her last, Rossano Rubicondi, predeceased her just nine months. And as for successive wives — again, crying or otherwise — it’s unclear whether Donald Trump’s second and third brides will attend. Ivana Trump has had an at-times divisive relationship with Melania Trump, even early in Donald Trump’s presidency, when both women announced that she was the real “First Lady.” “I’m basically Trump’s first wife, okay?” Ivana Trump joked while promoting her memoir on Good Morning America in 2017, explaining why she had stopped calling the White House to congratulate her ex-husband and his third wife. “I’m the First Lady, okay?” the Czech-born and one-time model and professional skier joked about her hesitation. Melania Trump’s spokesman quickly responded with an angry statement that made it clear who the real First Lady was — and demoted Ivana Trump to the humble status of “former.” “Mrs. Trump made the White House home for Barron and the President,” the statement read. “She loves living in Washington, DC and is honored by her role as First Lady of the United States. She plans to use her title and role to help children, not sell books.” The hot response continued, “There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex. Unfortunately just attention-seeking, self-serving noise.” Since the relationship between Ivana Trump and her successor, Marla Maples, Donald Trump’s second wife, seemed to be even colder, it would be very surprising if she or her daughter Tiffany Trump attended. Ivana Trump and Maples, an aspiring Broadway star from Georgia, had an infamous falling out when Donald Trump began an open relationship with the younger woman. Ivana Trump had said she would never forgive Maples, who told People magazine in 2016 that the hostility made her sad. There has been no public evidence of the two patching things up since then. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a charity close to Ivana Trump’s heart, Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Florida. “Ivana Trump was an incredible woman – a powerhouse in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty and a caring mother and friend,” the family’s requested charity says on its donation and tribute page. “Ivana Trump was a survivor. He left communism and embraced this country. She taught her children grit and toughness, compassion and determination. “Ivana has been philanthropically involved with many charities throughout her life, but has always remained steadfast and passionate in her love of animals. In lieu of flowers, please support Ivana in her mission to help dogs and donate to Big Dog Rescue Ranch.” Details of Ivana Trump’s funeral were first reported by Showbiz411 on Saturday. The outlet noted that St. Vincent, rightly so, is the saint of builders. Ivana Trump had a hand in many of her husband’s developments during their marriage, including as CEO of the Castle Casino Resort in Atlantic City.
