AT AGE 100 she sings like a nightingale, recites her favourite Psalms in the Holy Bible and throughout the day is preoccupied with giving God thanks and praises for his mercies.
And just who is this remarkable woman? Edna Denny also called ‘Aunt Edna’ or ‘Gran Denny’ of course. Edna celebrated her 100th birth anniversary on Wednesday, proudly joining the list of Guyana’s treasured centenarians and expressing the fact that she feels ‘overjoyed’ and happy to live for as long as the Creator wants her to.

Gran Danny lives with her niece, Barbara Longhorne at Culdesac Street, Festival City, North Ruimveldt in a home where love abounds.

When asked by the Pepperpot Magazine how she feels about being 100, at first she appeared a little hesitant and paused for a while to take it all in, then asked, “Me, 100?” Soon, the apparent shock had turned into excitement and she enthusiastically responded, “Fine, fine, I feeling fine and I am an Aries,” then spontaneously began reciting the Psalm, “Bless the Lord, Oh, my soul and let all that is within me bless His holy name.”
Widow of Percy Denny, she was the mother of Wallace and Patrick Denny, both now deceased. Patrick was the Executive Secretary (International Relations) of the People’s National Congress and former Managing Editor of Stabroek News. She is also the adopted mother of Roy Spooner of Washington D.C.

But even though she never had a daughter of her own, Edna, who loves children, recalls having ‘mothered’ many girl children whom she took care of as though they were her own and so, for her, there was never a dull moment.

Edna who hails from New Amsterdam Berbice, while in her teens relocated to Georgetown to live with an aunt, but spent long enough time living in Berbice to develop a full primary education at the New Amsterdam Methodist School, and got firmly grounded in the principles of christianity at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in the town.

As she grew older she took a liking to dressmaking and was taught the art by her aunt’s friend, Anita Jones. In time, she mastered the art of dressmaking and developed a reputation for being, perhaps, one of the most, accomplished seamstresses in her time.
As Barbara recalls, she ‘put out’ countless brides and sewed the fanciest dresses, uniforms and even shrouds. At Christmas time, it was as though she “didn’t have hands” to meet up with the demands of dressmaking. She’d sew for long hours into the night- many times with customers waiting to collect their clothing to head off to a Christmas Eve Night or an Old Year’s Night Party.

And as for Christmas, it was always a good time for her for she loved cooking delicious dishes especially pepperpot, black cake, and to this day she still loves roti and curry with rice and has a passion for ice-cream, cake and all sweetmeats.

Gran Denny has never had health complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes or a heart condition. The most she suffered was the common flu and she was always active around the house. Previously, every morning she’d get up and go to the market to get her buttons covered and buy sequins and the like.

Unfortunately, about two years ago, she was doing something in the kitchen and had a fall, resulting in her suffering a fractured hip and other fractures. She is now confined to a wheelchair but continues to be the same caring and compassionate, pleasant and soft-spoken Gran Denny.