LOUISE Small, more affectionately known as Miss Iris Duffus, now holds the title of Jamaica’s oldest living person, and is preparing to celebrate her 109th birthday on May 24.

As the milestone approaches, family and close friends have reflected on her life, describing her as a loving caregiver and a pillar of strength within her St Catherine community.

Born in 1916, Small has lived through two world wars, Jamaica’s independence, and the digital revolution. However, according to her family members, what sets her apart is not just her age, but her enduring vitality, gentle spirit, and the deep impact she has made on those around her.On Wednesday, members of Small’s family gathered at her home in Frazer’s Content, Spanish Town, where Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr visited her. This was a part of activities by Charles Jr to mark National Centenarians’ Day, observed annually in Jamaica on May 20. The day celebrates people aged 100 and older, recognising their contributions to national development. For Small’s family, the visit by the Government minister was not just an official gesture, it was a long-overdue national salute.“It just made my heart swell,” said 74-year-old Helena Anderson, the youngest of Miss Iris’s four children. “To get that call, to know my mother is being recognised…it means everything,” added Anderson.

She told the Jamaica Observer that her mother has always been a source of strength and wisdom for the family, raising her children in a home rooted in Christian values and discipline.“She has been a great mother and an ardent Christian but also a strict disciplinarian, so you would not get away with anything,” said Anderson.

Small, who worked as a subsistence farmer and a midwife in her younger years, is also widely known in her community for her hospitality and use of traditional herbal medicine. Her great-granddaughter, Jodi-Ann Knight, recalled how people from every section of the community would stop at her house, knowing they could always get a cold drink or a bite to eat.“She always lived a very healthy lifestyle and she had a special love for others. Her home where she is originally from in Kitson Town was the home for everyone, so no passer-by would pass without getting something from her. If you are passing, once she is there you can always get a nice cup of drink or some food to eat,” said Knight.

She pointed out that her great-grandmother was known for her deep knowledge of natural remedies, rarely relying on conventional medicine.“She never take any medication from what I know. If we are sick, she would go down a little gully behind our house and she would know exactly which bush to get to make the medicine so we could feel better,” Knight added.

In the meantime, Maxine Gordon, who is Small’s unofficial adopted grand-daughter, declared that she was welcomed into the family by the now centenarian.

“She treated me as a member of the family and she is such a dear soul, one of the finest old ladies around, and up to even two years ago she was still reading…She has a good heart and everybody knows her as a caregiver especially when she was in Kitson Town. She has raised and helped so many young people outside of her family and she eats well,” said Gordon who recalled with amazement how physically active Small was until recently.

“Most of these fruit trees that are planted here in this house, she is the one who has planted them, all when she was at age 90 persons would call her daughter when she was still at work and told her that them see her mother a climb tree at age 90 — can you believe that?” added Gordon.