Leonora Virtue content with every day of her 100 years

REMAINING HUMBLE before God and ensuring to live as stress-free as possible are two key components of Leonora Virture’s long life and good health.

In an interview with The Gleaner, the elderly woman, who celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday, stated that if given the chance to do life all over again, she would not make use of the opportunity as she had no regrets with how her life turned out.

Virtue expressed being more than satisfied with the decisions she has made over 10 decades and that the actions she took were all worth it. The decisions included ones which resulted in her being married, birthing four children – three girls and one boy who is now deceased – and adopting the three children which her husband, Lyndon Virtue, entered the marriage with.

Born in Annotto Bay, St Mary, and being primarily raised by her godparents, Virtue stated that she thoroughly enjoyed ‘country’ life, especially moments which included spending time with both friends and family, particularly with her two younger siblings.

As Virtue grew older, she later moved to Kingston where she eventually landed a job as a domestic worker. This was how she met her husband, who died at the age of 80.

Despite missing his presence, she explained that his absence has not impacted her negatively as he died of old age and that this was a part of the cycle of life. She noted that she understood that death was inevitable, a perspective which highlights the reason behind why Virtue is such a fearless woman, who said she has never once been afraid of death.

While she is not sure why she is not fearful of dying, she advised that consistent prayer should be a part of people’s lives.

“You live in hope, and you die in constant spring,” she remarked jokingly.

Virtue has also outlived many of her elderly friends while living in the Portmore community of Silverstone, St Catherine where she now resides. She admitted that it has got rather lonely not being able to find other older folks to relate to and to have stimulating discussions with, regarding topical issues being highlighted in the local news.

As she gets older, Virtue’s daily routines have changed as she suffers from joint pains and can only effectively move about by using a walking stick. She is still able to conduct house chores, such as hand washing her clothes and washing dishes.

However, Virtue remains quite afraid to light the stove, and, as such, is assisted by her daughter, Sonia, who lives with her.

She is also an avid reader of local tabloid paper, The Star, along with ensuring to feed her spirit with the scriptures from The Holy Bible, despite being aided with glasses and after undergoing an eye surgery.

Virtue told The Gleaner that perhaps living a long life was one which God had blessed her lineage with, as her mother died aged 106.

“I give thanks to God each day, that is the main thing ... and especially my daughter, Sonia, she stick by me. She treats me well [and] never turn her back from me, don’t matter if she’s not well, she never get up one morning and say ‘Mama me cyah give you a cup of tea’,” she explained, adding that she was very appreciative of her.

She outlined that the two had such a close relationship and that she would often wait on the verandah for hours in anticipation for Sonia to return home, if she had gone on the road to conduct business.

“If me even lay down inside, the sleep not coming, I keep looking for her,” she added.

Sonia Virtue, the last of the four children birthed by Virtue, informed The Gleaner that her mother was a very compassionate woman who continued to care for her children.

“No matter what it is, if I go to her and say, ‘Mama me need some cash’ ... she never ever refuse. She is not going to have it and sit down on it,” she said.

She continued that her mother is dependable and would always treat others well, especially those who are close to her children, like family.

Every day a blessing

Sonia expressed that every day was a blessing as she is granted the opportunity to spend it with her mother, whom she calls her ‘best friend’.

“I know that she is going to listen to me, no matter what time of the night [or] the morning, if I go in there (her room) and say ‘mama’, she is going to listen, even if you wake her out of her sleep,” she expressed.

Grand-daughter, Michelle Scully, recalled that much of her younger years were spent in the company of her grandmother, where she learned how to cook and would often make Jamaican treats, such as grater cake and coconut drops.

“It was the most precious times of my entire life [as] my mom worked a lot,” she told The Gleaner.

She further recalled enjoyable times when she would take walks downtown Kingston to sit by the park or view the water fountain, and on other occasions visit the local market.

“It’s very overwhelming to know that she is still with us because I don’t know what life would be like without her, so I pray every day for her [longevity],” she said.

She encouraged the younger generation to treasure the older folk in their lives and each moment that they get to spend with them.

“They have lived a life that we have never lived before so, we can live through them,” she added.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com