VIRGINIA Euphemia Watts of #28 Village, West Coast Berbice, on Saturday, celebrated, with her family, her 102nd birth anniversary, with much joy and happiness.

The now homebound centenarian is unable to walk, after she fell a little after her 101st birth anniversary and is fearful she may suffer a similar fate. She prefers to be taken around via wheelchair but otherwise she is fit as a fiddle considering her age.

Fondly called “Granny” and “Aunty Baby”, Watts was born in 1918 to Evan and Elvira Benjamin at Trafalgar/Number #28 Village, West Coast Berbice.
She was the first of five siblings, all of whom pre-deceased her, making her the longest living relative of the Benjamins and Watts families.

According to her eldest daughter, Carole Watts, 68, aside from her mom, her oldest known relative was an uncle who lived to the age of 94. Virginia’s family has been hosting birthday celebrations for her since she was 90, as they thought the feat of reaching a century was remarkable.

“When she reached 90 we were so happy that we decided to keep a nice service and celebrate the milestone and every year, we have been doing it since,” Carole said.

She noted that last year when her mom was being congratulated for reaching 101, she said “Thank you but 102 will be better” and, remarkably, Carole said, she has made it to 102.

The centenarian loves Ovaltine and Sago porridge. Carole shared that recently she took some Ovaltine to her mom and she complained that it was not the same.

“When I gave her the Ovaltine, she said ‘you know I don’t drink Milo’ but when I explained it was Ovaltine she said ‘I don’t know why these people not making things the way they were long ago’,” the proud daughter told the Guyana Chronicle.

Virginia was fortunate to travel the length and breadth of Guyana with her father who was a policeman as well as her now deceased husband, Joseph Burchell Watts, who worked as a nurse/dispenser in the mining industry.

An industrious woman, for most of her life, Virginia reared cattle, mastered
the arts of sewing and cooking and did so while taking care of her six children, one of
whom is now deceased.
She has 13 grandchildren and 15 great grands. Virginia nowadays prefers to spend her time listening to the words of God. She credits the Almighty for her long life.