MANDEVILLE, Manchester – Mary Ewen (Granny Mary), who up to the time of her death was said to be the oldest living person in the hemisphere, was recently laid to rest at her family plot in Hasty Good District, Mile Gully in Manchester after a service of worship and thanksgiving at the Grace Open Bible Church in Coley Mountain, Manchester.

The 128-year-old Ewen, known to a number of people as ‘Granny Mary’, was said to be born in May 1878.

Dr Sydney Beaumont, author of the book Manchester Centenarians, said she was robbed of the opportunity to enter the Guinness Book of Records because her date of birth was never authenticated with a birth certificate.

Councillor Fairbourne Maxwell of Mile Gully Division in Manchester, who represented North-West Manchester MP Dean Peart, described the occasion as a historic one.

Maxwell, who was among several people who paid tribute to Granny Mary, apologised for the absence of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, whom he said wanted to be there but was prevented by other duties. He said the prime minister asked him to convey her condolences to Granny Mary’s family and friends.

Dr J Gayle of the Senior Citizens Association of Manchester described Granny Mary as “a woman of substance”, who was always giving thanks.

Granny Mary, a self-taught midwife/nanny and farmer, was credited with delivering the most babies in that area of the parish, extending to three generations, he said.

In delivering the eulogy, Michelle Moser of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) said Granny Mary was passionate about delivering babies and would always mount her mule and ride for miles to assist women in labour.

Moser said that after the birth of some babies, Granny Mary reportedly stayed with mothers and their newborn for up to a month. Mothers often testified of the unconventional methods that she used to save the lives of labouring mothers and babies, she told the packed funeral service.

According to Moser, in the days leading to the funeral she saw two women with pick axes and shovels digging Granny Mary’s grave. The women, she said, told her they were motivated to become involved in the grave digging because Granny Mary had delivered them and also their babies.

Rev Windell Daley who delivered the sermon urged the congregation to emulate the life of thankfulness and praise that Granny Mary lived if they hoped to enjoy a long and happy life.