Grandma gets flashy 100th birthday party

Evelyn Stanley was treated to a flashy pink birthday affair on Friday as friends, family and well-wishers gathered to celebrate her centennial milestone with a brunch the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

The venue was decked chiefly in pink, and guests came clad in their Sunday best to have a laugh and pay tribute to a friend, mother, grandmother, and caregiver, among other things.

The Farm district, St. Ann native had 14 siblings, one of whom is still alive.

On Friday, Stanley, whose maiden name is Goodall, made a grand entrance to her party, arriving in a wheelchair, accompanied by family members. She would, however, make a graceful strut to her seat, with the assistance of family members.

"When I thought about this tribute, I wondered how I would be able to organize it to sufficiently bring out her motherhood. You always hear people referring to their mother as the best mother in the world, if that is so, Evelyn is the bestest," said daughter, Merlene Stanley-Brown, as she paid tribute to her mother on behalf of all 10 children.

Surrounded by four of her 10 children, and nine of her 27 grandchildren along with a few great grandchildren, Stanley maintained her suave demeanour as each generation presented her with flowers as a token of their appreciation.

Tributes

Throughout the ceremony, tributes flowed in the form of songs, speeches, along with various anecdotes told by master of ceremony Kevoy Burton.

"The function being held today to celebrate Miss Evelyn is a testimony to the children's love for her and she deserves every bit of it, having worked so hard to take care of them during their early lives. This is an opportunity for them to give back at this time," said long-time family friend, Monica Brown.

Karen McHugh, grand-daughter of Stanley, told The STAR, that Stanley was "a woman of industry. She was a vendor in the Brown's Town market for decades."

The family will be continuing the celebrations and throwing a big birthday bash extravaganza for Stanley in her hometown on August 17.