Agatha celebrates 104th b’day

AGATHA Jointe, residing for five years at a San Fernando Home for the Aged, openly thanked her Lord Jesus for preserving her life for 104 years. Jointe celebrated her 104th birthday in grand style yesterday at the St Veronica’s Caring Facility on Princes Street, San Fernando, with a thanksgiving service hosted by the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Pouchet Street, San Fernando. Giving the reason for her longevity, a high-spirited and gleeful Jointe told Newsday, “Jesus helped me to live so long and with no sickness.”

Singing praises to her God, Jointe noted that she is very faithful to Him and plans to remain that way, because, “I must give prayers and thanks to God for everything because He is worthy of my praises and that is why I am still here on earth.” Jointe was born on October 30, 1900 in Princes Town.  A gardener for most of her life, she grew up working the land. She noted that she never had the privilege of going to school but she remained occupied by planting corn, provisions and even working in the canefields.

As age caught up with her, she sold sweets and ice cream on a boxcart at the then Paramount Hotel in San Fernando, now the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union Headquarters. She is the beloved mother of five children — three girls and two boys — and four of them are still alive. Three of her children live abroad. Jointe is the grandmother of 50, great-grand mother of 30 and great great-grandmother of 23. When asked about a birthday wish, a very energetic Jointe, who exercises every day and sticks to a normal diet, replied, “For the Lord to have mercy upon me and for Him to pardon and forgive me of all my wrong doings.” She sent a message out to the nation’s youths and urged them to believe that there is a God. “not to worry about anything, leave everything in the hands of God and to remember to pray without ceasing.”