Millicent Clarke is 100 and fabulous!
Not only were those the words printed on the golden sash she wore during her birthday celebration, that sentiment was also expressed by her family and friends who celebrated her milestone yesterday.
At Mount Friendship Road, St Michael, Clarke was joined by President The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, her children, some of her St Barnabas church family and neighbours.
During the celebration, her daughter Cheryl Carter shared stories that showcased her mother’s resilience, wit and love for the church.
“She was the last of five siblings and when she came up, she did not have the support of her siblings because they had all gone on to make their own lives, so it was just her and my grandmother.
“She had it kind of rough because my grandmother got sick and she was the one caretaker before she died,” Carter said.
“She didn’t get a chance to go to school because she had to leave school to go and work in the cane fields . . . but mum made sure that even if we had a primary or secondary education, that we had one because she wanted us to better ourselves.
“We were able to turn around and give back to her for all the years she cared for us.”
Clarke is the mother of eight children – Alister Carter, Barry Carter, Wesley Carter, Patricia Hunte, Cheryl, Pamela Knight, Meryle Layne and Dawn Clarke, who passed away in 2015.
She also has 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
They wore various shades of blue because it is Clarke’s favourite colour.
Several crochet craft projects which Clarke worked on with the team at the National Assistance Board were hanging in the living room.
She was an active member of the nearby St Barnabas Church.
Although she no longer walks after two strokes, she still maintains a great sense of humour.
Cheryl added: “God has brought her this far. I’ve been looking after her for the last six years
and it can be a challenge but it is a joy because mum has a wit about her.
“Mum can say some of the most off-the-cuff things that just make you roll up. While sometimes it’s serious, it’s very funny.”
Laughing
During the celebration, Millicent jokingly asked who all of people in the house were.
She also encouraged Dame Sandra to give money to the “collection” before leaving, which caused everyone gathered to burst out laughing.
While former rector at St Barnabas, Rev. Mark Harewood, described her as a tour-de-force, her son Barry Carter said she was a great “economist” who taught him to budget, and was a disciplinarian.
“You can’t out-count her and outsmart her. She never played sports, but she had the best right arm that I know. You couldn’t outrun her throw. If you were doing something that she thought was wrong, you would get disciplined.
“And you might as well stay and take what is coming to you because if you’re running, she would zoom in on the target . . .,” he recalled.
He said he was glad his mother reached the milestone.
“She was adamant about saying ‘I am going to live to 100’. Unfortunately, she had one stroke and as she recovered, she had another stroke, which put her in the situation she is in now.
“Although her memory goes at times, there are things that are still fresh in her thoughts and she is quick to explain,” Barry added.
(TG)
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