Nydia Quintero Turbay
Nydia Quintero Turbay de Balcázar was a Colombian civic leader and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Colombia from 1978 to 1982 during her marriage to President Julio César Turbay Ayala.
Early life, marriage and family
Nydia Quintero Turbay was born on October 22, 1931 in Neiva, Huila to Jorge Quintero and Adhalía Turbay de Quintero. His mother was a descendant of Lebanese migrants and his father was a descendant of Basque migrants. After the death of his father he moved to Bogotá where he studied at the Antonia Santos National High School. Quintero married Turbay in the Church of Santa Teresita in Bogotá on July 1, 1948, when she was 16 years old. Quintero would witness the events of April 9, 1948 that began the Bogotazo, she would describe how she witnessed the events while she was dancing ballet. A year later in February 1949, his eldest son Julio César would be born.In 1962 she would support her husband in his campaign for Senator.In 1975, Turbay would be appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs by President Alfonso López Michelsen, so Quintero accompanied her husband on multiple visits and high-level meetings throughout the country observing the needs of many Colombians. In 1975, Quintero founded the Solidarity for Colombia Foundation as a non-profit foundation. In 1978 he joined the foundation in the 1978 presidential campaign. After Turbay's election as president, Quintero would play the role of social hostess at the Casa de Nariño, a role she used alongside the foundation by donating assistance during natural disasters while presiding as chairwomen of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare. Quintero came to enjoy the role by allowing him to work for children. Years later she would describe that it was an honor for her to work for Colombia and contribute to society.
Divorce and later life
In 1983, after several months of speculation, Turbay publicly announced their separation. The relationship had grown strained during the last two years of Julio César's term, and in mid-1983, they both filed for an annulment, officially ending their 35-year marriage.A year later, Quintero married Gustavo Balcázar in a private ceremony in Bogotá in mid-1984.
In 2016, after 41 years of work and service at the head of the Solidarity for Colombia Foundation.Quintero decides to hand over the position to his granddaughter María Carolina. Who went on to become president of the foundation since then. After his retirement in 2016, Quintero's public appearances became shorter and were gradually reduced. In her last years she lost her voice which totally isolated her from public life. On June 30, 2025, she died at the Fundación [Santa Fe clinic]. She remained hospitalized for two days starting on June 28, after a mild respiratory infection. After his death, Quintero was exhibited in the Heliptic Hall of the National Capitol. His coffin was decorated with the flag of the Solidarity for Colombia Foundation. She was buried in the Central Cemetery of Bogotá, the ceremony included a prayer and blessing under the Maronite rite by Monsignor Fadi Abou Chebel, Apostolic Exarch of Bogotá and leader of the Mariamite Maronite Order. The ceremony honored the Lebanese origins of the Turbay family.