At 107 years old, Louise Small still reads without glasses

THE PETITE frame of Louise Small, otherwise call ‘Iris Duffus’, belies her resilience and strength. To those in her surroundings, the centenarian is seen as somewhat of an enigma, and it’s not just because of her age, but also because at 107 years old, she is able to read the newspaper without the aid of eyeglasses.

When Family and Religion visited her recently, as if to amaze the team, she read with ease from a copy of The Gleaner without the use of eyeglasses, like someone with 20/20 vision.

“Yes, man ... I can read and I am feeling alright in my body,” Small said.

She credited her daughter, Helena Anderson, for taking “good care” of her.

Small was the first child born to farmers Catherine Francis and Edward Small in Dover district, St Catherine.

“I was born on May 24, 1916 and a live here now,” she said.

Anderson, who is her main caregiver, said, “My mother took care of her children (three girls and a boy) by farming and vending at the Spanish Town Market until she stopped in 2000. In the early years she would walk (to get around), then she would use a donkey, which she called Lion, but as time went by she was transported by taxis.”

Anderson, a retired nurse, added that it is a blessing that her mother, who lives with her, has seen her fifth generation, while she remains mentally sharp.

A recent visit to her residence in Frazer’s Content, St Catherine, found the centenarian in very high spirits..

“My mother still interacts with those abroad by phone and she remains a strong and loving member of the family, which makes it easier to care for her,” Anderson said.

Throughout the interview, the affable Small just smiled and nodded in approval of the loving sentiments that were expressed about her.

The former higgler, who is said to be a lover of fish and vegetables, was known to have walked very long distances just to purchase fish for her household.

“She would walk from Kitson Town to Old Harbour Bay to buy fish for the family. It took a long time but she did it anyway and we are thankful,” Rose Stephenson, another daughter, said.

Having been a disciplinarian, Small’s children were brought up with sound Christian principles. They had to go to church regularly and dared not veer from that path.

“We didn’t have an option about church. We had to attend the Church of God Seventh-day on Old Road in Kitson Town, where she was a member,” Stephenson said.

Small outlived her two younger siblings and her family wouldn’t mind having her around for many more years.