‘NEN-Nen’, who celebrated her 103rd birthday yesterday, has never missed voting in a national election, and she proudly declares that she is President David Granger’s Number One fan. And her birthday wish is to meet him again, having met him at her church, the Church of the Transfiguration, just after he won the presidency in May this year.

Margaret Irene Osborne, affectionately called ‘Nen- Nen’, was born to John and Rebecca Babb on September 21, 1912 in the village of Hague, West Coast of Demerara, but now lives her feisty life in Georgetown with her daughter.
This centenarian is fortunate to be still in relatively good health and condition for her age, and to have a good memory. She is able to remember and tell stories of past events, and keeps the family history alive. Though her hearing and eyesight are not as good as they used to be just a few years ago, she is still able to be mobile and communicate with everyone around her.

Relatives say that ‘Nen-Nen’ continues to be the beloved matriarch of her family. She enjoys reading the newspaper, and continues to have a keen interest in the politics of the day. She also enjoys good conversation and catching up on old times with her family. An ardent Anglican, she also enjoys Pentecostal services.

Born into a family of seven siblings, ‘Nen-Nen’ spent her early days on the West Coast attending the St Jude’s Anglican School, and later attended sewing classes, her relatives said in a release.

On June 3, 1944, she married the late Herbert Osborne, which union produced three children: Orlton, Jeanette and Ian Osborne. Margaret and Herbert moved their young family to Linden, where she continued to be a homemaker, and stay-at-home mom, while her husband worked at the bauxite company.

‘Nen-Nen’ was known to be a loving and committed family woman who can be feisty, sharp-tongued and strong-willed, but yet able to have a calming influence on everyone around her. Demonstrating her strong family commitment during a period of unemployment for her husband, she took on domestic work to support her family. The couple was married for 61 years before Herbert died in 2006.

Today, ‘Nen-Nen’ has seven grandchildren and three great-grands. Notably, she is not the first centenarian in the family. Her late brother, Joyce Rupert Babb, also achieved this feat, but she is the only surviving child of her parents.