100 years strong - Centenarian Agnes Jones-Graham praises the Lord for her health and strength

Agnes Jones-Graham is from a family of long livers. Her mom, Mary Johnson- Jones, died at 95, and her grandma, Suzanne Jones, lived to 103.

Jones-Graham, an active senior citizen who lives in New Works, Westmoreland, celebrated her 100th birthday last Saturday. She had nine siblings and all lived beyond 80 years old.

Besides pain in one of her legs, which she complains about from time to time, Jones-Graham is relatively fit. She still does her gardening, sweeps her yard, and, most importantly, her daughter Joy Graham-Bennett says she makes the best porridge.

"Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, I'm strong and healthy, so I like to do little work all the time," said Jones-Graham who took a break from sweeping her yard when THE WEEKEND STAR spoke with her via telephone on Thursday.

"I clean the house, bathe myself and sometimes when my daughter is gone out, me try to cook my little meals. Up to this morning, I look after my breakfast. I fry some left over yam and make some bush tea," she beamed.

"Me outside a clean up the place because the breeze blow the leaves on the ground, so I went out there and try to brush them up. I was also grating coconut to put in my hominy porridge for my breakfast on Sabbath morning," she said

Jones-Graham attributed her long life to her faith in God and the miles and miles she walked during her younger days.

"I had to walk most of my life so I think it help to keep me fit. Sometimes I would have to walk a mile and a half from my home to New Works square, and other long journey. And the Lord wanted me to live long, and I feel blessed to live for so long," Jones-Graham said.

Graham-Bennett, Miss Agnes' eldest daughter, is her main caregiver. She is elated by the fact that her mother has lived to reach 100 years, but it hasn't come as a shocker.

"I knew it would happen because she took very good care of herself and she is a strong woman. I can remember, as a child, I use to see my mom walking up some mountains every morning for exercise, so those stuff help to keep her," Graham-Bennett said.

Meanwhile, the centenarian said that she spent much of her young days, after leaving school in 1938, working as a housekeeper.

"My teacher took me to Lawrence Tavern in St Andrew to work, but they weren't treating me well so I left and came back home," she said.

Soon after, the mother of five married Norman Graham and they started a family. They had four children together.

"My husband was a very nice man. We use to work the ground together, and I would go to the market and sell. But from him die in 2000, I don't do those things anymore," she said.