Stella scores 102

Months after undergoing potentially life-threatening surgery at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, to replace the batteries in her pacemaker, Bouville defied the odds to the point where she recently celebrated her 102nd birthday with a reception at her home on Church Road, Mayaro.

“She now holds the record of being the oldest person in the country to have pacemaker surgery,” Bouville’s only surviving daughter, Jean Charles, told Sunday Newsday.

Charles, a retired teacher, also thanked the workers at the Heartbeat Foundation for the professional manner in which they cared for her mother, before and after the procedure.

But having a new lease on life is not something the feisty centenarian takes for granted. Bouville thanked God for sparing her life for yet another year __ sentiments which were also expressed by her relatives and friends.

Despite her condition, Bouville has shown little signs of slowing down. In fact, her wit and vivid recollection of pivotal events in her life remain sharper than ever.

At the reception, she elicited raucous laughter from the gathering when she sang a song with the hook line, “Never make a pretty woman yuh wife.” One of Bouville’s grandchildren also recited a poem which she wrote especially for the occasion.

Unlike her 100th birthday reception, which was held at the Mayaro Resource Centre, Bouville’s celebration this time around was scaled down significantly, in keeping with her wishes. In terms of activities, she still attends the nearby Mayaro RC Church and prays the Rosary regularly.

However, her mobility has been compromised by a broken ankle and fractured hip - the result of an injury she sustained while coming out of a taxi in front of her home some years ago.

Bouville also enjoys looking at specific television shows, including Crime Watch and the Bold and the Beautiful.

Having borne eight children, three of whom she has outlived, Bouville’s life has been underpinned by sacrifice, hard work and a sense of duty.

An unofficial authority on the effects of World War II on Trinidad and Tobago in the years before Independence, Bouville has led an exceptional life in the face of unspeakable odds.

Her pet peeves, she said, are lazy people, unruly children and gossipy women.

Bouville was born in Caparo, central Trinidad, to a Martiniquean father and Tobagonian mother on March 11, 1915.

“I am a real callalloo,” she told Sunday Newsday.

As a young woman, her family lived in several rural communities, including Flanagin Town, Brasso, Longdenville and Sangre Grande before eventually settling in Mayaro.

Apart from working on the construction of the main roadway between Carapo and Mundo Nuevo, Bouville also recalled toiling on cocoa, coffee and coconut estates to feed her young family.

Her longest working stint was at the JN Harriman Estate, Grand Lagoon, Guayaguayare, where she spent 20 consecutive years.

But life was not all hard work for this outspoken matriarch.

Bouville said she also found time to relax, over the years, listening to calypso, dancing and singing competitively at wakes.

“Now is only nonsense they singing,” she said, lamenting the calibre of calypso that exists today.

As a mother, Bouville said her children’s upbringing was her primary focus, going to great lengths to ensure they were well-mannered, disciplined and ambitious.

She said there were no designated roles in her home.“It didn’t have no boy work and girl work. The boys have to make up bed and do everything,” Bouville told Sunday Newsday.

Bouville said she intends to live for as long as her Maker would have her.

“Everybody have they number. God give life and God take life. He have everybody name written down but my name eh call yet,” she said.

Bouville also urged young people to respect their parents, teachers and the elderly.