ON October 15, 2019, Kathleen Headley of 34 Norton Street will celebrate her achievement of being alive for 105 years. Kathleen, the eldest of six children, was born on the East Bank of the Demerara River, just about three miles from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
Twice married, she outlived both husbands: James Ford, whom she married in 1940, and Alban Headley, with whom she tied the knot in 1955. Her second marriage lasted for 40 years.

Kathleen, although having undergone two eye surgeries, still has her visual capabilities and is still able to move around and do minor everyday tasks on her own without the aid or assistance of anyone.
According to Headley, though she has never had children of her own, she has been a mother to many and knows the joys of caring and providing for children, having fostered many of them. Of affable disposition, loving, caring and compassionate, she is all you could ask for in a mother.

Kathleen said that she still receives love and support from persons whose lives she has touched. She related some of the love she received on her 100th birthday from one of the families she had worked for, stating that, “It was my 100th birthday and the mother of this Canadian family I had worked for, called at Smith’s Church where I fellowship and she called to find out about me. She spoke to Ms Pollard, who told her I would be turning 100 years old on Wednesday and that the church will be hosting a celebration for me, and the lady related to her that she wanted to give me something and the something she wanted me to have was $1000 Canadian dollars. I felt so good, not just at the gift, but at the thought, because I was a part of their lives so long ago and to think that she still thought about me like that made me feel good.”

Kathleen went on to explain that she doesn’t really have a specific meal plan; she said however that from a very young age, she always knew how to portion her foods and to figure out what each food had to offer the body, due to her mother being a diabetic and her having to have special food to ensure she remained healthy; so she said she picked up some of her healthy practices from there.

When asked if she had any advice for the younger generation on how to sustain themselves to reach an impressive age as herself, she said, “Stay away from the excessive use of alcohol.” She explained that she herself has never given into drinking alcoholic beverages, because she is aware of the long-term effects it could have on an individual. She further said that it is very important to maintain a healthy relationship with God, explaining that for her, she knows that without his guiding hand taking her through every day, she would not have been able to achieve such a milestone.