Mama Gatha’s life celebrated

HEAVY rain on Saturday did not dissuade scores of mourners, headed by deputy mayor of Mandeville Sally Porteous, who were attending the Mass of thanksgiving and memorial service to celebrate the life of Agatha Morrison, at the St Augustine Anglican Church in Porus, Manchester.

The 91-year-old, affectionately called “Mama Gatha,” who produced a dozen children, was remembered by her family as a mother par excellence, who was very religious, and faithful in sending her offspring to church on Sundays and who had always expressed love and kindness to humanity.

Her granddaughter Idara Hippolyte, said Mama Gatha accepted the Christian faith at age eight, and was a strong role model whose sense of responsibility and caring was overwhelming.

Eulogised as an excellent homemaker and child care specialist, Hippolyte described her as an excellent domestic engineer who worked assiduously to earn the necessary finances to help all her children to attain education at the tertiary level.

“She stretched the dollar to maintain her children while at the same time keeping her small farm going,” Hippolyte told mourners who crammed into the church.

She explained that when her grandmother’s husband had migrated to England, she was left with the responsibility to care for the 12 children and emphasised that that was when she learned to take charge and run things on her own.

Describing her 91 years of life as a missionary journey, Hippolyte said her grandmother was mesmerised by the daily horoscope which she followed in the newspapers and was blessed with ‘second sight’ but never used it maliciously. “She was an extraordinary and a powerful woman who would never intentionally cause anyone pain or loss. She would not quarrel with anyone but would instead sing a religious hymn to silence her aggressor,” she said.

Married for 52 years, before

her husband predeceased her

two years ago, Agatha Morrison leaves to mourn 12 children, 25

great grandchildren and 38 great, greatgrand children.