St Catherine centenarian celebrates his 102 not out

Born on February 4, 1922, in Banana Ridge, St Catherine, Isaac Nathaniel Rhoofe is still going strong at 102 years old.

Having celebrated his milestone birthday three years ago, he remains content, grateful for his family, and joyful to be “in the land of the living”.

Isaac was born to Rosetta O’Connor-Rhoofe and Isaac Samuel Rhoofe. He is one of 13 children, the second to last in the family lineup.

A devout Christian, he serves as an elder at the Blue Hole and Ginger Ridge Seventh-day Adventist Church.

He married Imogene Thomas, and together they had 10 children, four of whom have sadly passed away.

His daughter, Yvonne, describes caring for her father as a straightforward task.

“My father is not a problem,” she says. “He likes blue drawers, yam, sweet potatoes, and drinks anything without alcohol.”

“[In his younger years], he was amazingly talented man. Having been self-taught, he was a basketmaker and an entrepreneur who would sell items such as pots, slippers, clothing, and accessories of various types to care for his household,” Yvonne added.

Yvonne recalls him as a disciplinarian with big dreams. Although his ambition was to become a school principal, his parents kept him working in the fields instead of sending him to school.

“My mother dead from mi a three year old, so is mostly mi father grow mi,” Isaac said.

Despite not having a formal education, Isaac was a pillar in his community. He taught at the Jamaica Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL) programme and served as the chairman of the Marlie Hill Primary School board.

After living in Belfield, St Catherine, for several years, Isaac and his wife relocated Portmore, where he still resides with Yvonne.

Imogene passed away in 2019 at the age of 97.

Yvonne says that caring for her father is a privilege.

“Despite his advanced age, he still recites Bible verses from memory,” she said.

editorial@gleanerjm.com