Centenarian Linnette Guy sends message to youth
Published:Tuesday | October 15, 2024 | 12:08 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Despite having no immediate family, retired teacher Linnette Guy celebrated her 100th birthday in fine style on Sunday as her church family and friends took her to the Calvary Baptist Church, in Montego Bay, St James and then fêted her at the Pier One Restaurant.
“This has been a wonderful day for me, reaching 100 years. I am so happy, and all I can do is to be praising God, giving Him thanks all the time,” Guy told The Gleaner moments after taking part in the St James Baptist Association’s annual church service at Calvary Baptist Church.
“From a few weeks now, I have been thanking God and praising Him every minute of the day. It is such a wonderful feelin, and it is such a privilege to be here today. Plus, my friends have come all the way from St Catherine to take me to this church, and I enjoyed it immensely,” said the elated Guy.
Cousin-in-law Peter Beckford, who participated in celebrating his elderly relative’s birthday, said he was quite pleased to be a part of the celebration of such a significant milestone.
“Ever since I met her, she is such a beautiful and gracious person, and I would go all out for her. We all love her, and we are so happy that she made it to this momentous 100th birthday, and I wish her many, many more,” said Beckford.
LIFE WITH GRANDFATHER
Guy was born on October 13, 1924, and was the only child for her mother Frances Hibbert, who was a dressmaker by profession. Although her hearing is not good, and she relies on a wheelchair to get around, the centenarian was only too happy to share memories of her childhood days with her grandfather, Zachariah Wedderburn, with whom she lived in Cottage, Westmoreland, after her mother died.
“I lived a very happy life with my grandfather, and he cared for me and was a mother and father to me. I grew up in the church, as the church was next door to us. I enjoyed going to church in those days. Even now, when I cannot go to church, I am so very sorry,” said Guy.
A graduate of the Bethlehem Moravian College in Malvern, St Elizabeth, Guy taught at several schools during her years in the classroom. The list includes the Maldon Primary School, in St James, and St Joseph Academy, in Manchester.
Guy tied the knot with her late husband, Joseph Guy, in 1957, and enjoyed a happy marriage that lasted for 40 years. While the union produced no children, she helped to rear her husband’s younger sister and a child he had from a previous relationship.
Guy, who said her childhood was much different from what she is now seeing in modern-day Jamaica, is urging the current generation to give their hearts to God.
“When I was young, it was so different, as there was not so much crime and people were much more loving and things were not so expensive,” said the reflective centenarian. “Every time you listen to the news now, it is somebody being killed. So sometimes I do not even bother to listen to the news.
“To this generation, I say, just turn to God and pray to Him morning, noon, and night, and ask Him for whatever you need, and trust and believe that He will answer.”