Star Life & Times : Miss Testy laid to rest

Scores of mourners packed the Spalding Seventh-day Adventist Church on Sunday, August 21, to pay their last respects to late centenarian Testina 'Miss Testy' Williams, who passed away at 102 years old on August 7.

The thanksgiving service was a tribute packed with songs and the spoken word, and those who spoke remembered the centenarian as a woman of God who was most kind and hardworking.

Barbara Rainford-Wilby told the congregation that Williams was one mother who all would love to have. She described her as a community woman who was fearless in the way she disciplined all children, as she was a real disciplinarian.

"She was a kind and loving woman who was always giving people things. She was very kind; and she made some of the most delicious meals, especially when it came on to stew," said Rainford-Wilby, who also shared that she will long be remembered for her community pot, because almost every community member ate from it.

The centenarian was also remembered as a real farmer and dressmaker who made dresses for members of her community and elsewhere. Rainford-Wilby added that Williams, who was a most trustworthy woman, was the banker for several partner plans. She said Williams is a legend who lived a good life.

The centenarian was eulogised by her granddaughter, Camille Gardner, as a brilliant student who loved dressmaking. She said her grandmother learnt her skill well and dedicated her life to it, making beautiful dresses. "She taught her children and grandchildren how to be mannerly. She was fun-loving and kind. She had the strength of Samson and she strongly believed in God. She was a woman of punctuality as she was always on time."

In bringing the homily, Pastor Howard Holmes reminded the congregation that man's days are like the grass - fresh in the morning, and, by evening, it withers away. He added that those who sleep in the Lord will hear His voice and that the living know that they shall die. The dead, he said, know nothing. Holmes preached that the human being that we are is very important to God because He made us in His own image.

Williams, whose mother lived to 105, and grandmother, 109, hailed from Lucky Hill in St Mary. She was born on April 8, 1914. She has left behind four daughters, two sons, one sister, 23 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren, and four great-great grandchildren.

Her body was interred at the Spring Ground Cemetery in Manchester.

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