MAMA ROSE: A dedicated Christian woman

When Norma Johnson changed addresses in May 1961, it became Aboukir's loss and Duanvale's gain.

Affectionately called 'Mama Rose' and 'Sister Rose', Johnson was born on June 23, 1936, and lived a full Christian life until her death on April 18, 2018.

She was first baptised at age 12 in the African Episcopal Church in Aboukir. She was baptised a second time when she moved to Duanvale. The second baptism took place at in the Holy Temple Pentecostal Church, where she served in several capacities.

The youngest of 15 children, Mama Rose married Leon McIntosh on May 22, 1965. The union produced six children - five girls and a boy.

Dr Shane Scott, a grandson, eulogised her as "a phenomenal woman, a Christian mother who was not afraid to make the world know she was a Christian. All of her children and grandchildren were guided to live by the Christian dictates".

"Mama Rose was full of love, accompanied by a caring attitude to life. I will always remember the love she had. It is my hope that the genes of long life stays within me. With God's help, they will," he said.

Pastor Raymond Thompson, in his sermon, encouraged his congregation to live their lives similarly to that of Mama Rose. "She was a Christian for 72 years. That could not be bad," he preached.

Mama Rose's body was interred in the Duanvale cemetery.