Linnette Guy still sharp at 99

With her 100th birthday only a few months away, retired school teacher Linnette Guy's memory is just as sharp as it was in the days of her youth, leaving family and friends amazed by her ability to recall events that they cannot remember.

When THE STAR visited Guy yesterday at the Serene Surrounding Nursing Care Home in Bog Walk, St Catherine, the 99-year-old was vibrant and cheerful, excited to share the joyful stories of her past. On October 13, 1924, Guy was born and raised in Bluefields, Westmoreland, at a place her grandfather named 'The Cottage'.

"I had a lovely childhood life. I lived with my mother who was trained by her aunt and her husband. So my mother's aunty and her husband were my 'grandparents'," Guy said, adding that after her mother died when she was 10, she was raised by her grandfather, who became her best friend.

"My grandfather was so sweet and kind and provided everything for me ... He loved me and he cared for me and I just loved him too. He never flogged me like my mother would clap me," Guy said, laughing. She also told THE STAR that as a teenager, one of her favourite activities was to ride horses, a skill her grandfather taught her.

"We never had many cars in those days, just one or two cars were in the district, and from early I learnt to ride horse and saddle. Yes, I use to ride from I was about 15, 16 going to visit my aunt," Guy said proudly.

Guy became a teacher at age 18, a profession she stayed in for 33 years.

"At first I never liked teaching. But afterwards, you know, thinking of several things, I didn't want to be a nurse. So I decided I would be a teacher," Guy said, adding that she grew to love the students she taught and interacted with.

One such student is Gaynor Downer, who was never directly taught by Guy, but interacted with her as a student at the Providence Primary School in the Corporate Area. Downer was reunited with Guy some weeks ago after Guy, who has arthritis in her knees, was referred to her for physiotherapy.

"All of my teachers are all gone. I don't know where any of them are, so you know it was so good to see her and talk to her and all of that... . I've been in her life giving her physiotherapy making sure that she's comfortable and I make sure she eats because she has a little challenge. So I bring fruits for her and mek sure she alright. So I see her every week," Downer said, adding that each time she interacts with Guy, she is amazed by her memory.

"Her memory is better than mine and yours combined. She's very technologically advanced at 99. She uses her cell phone, and she's on WhatsApp and she goes on the Internet and all of these things," Downer told THE STAR.

Throughout her life, Guy met and befriended many people. One of her favourite persons was her husband for more than 40 years, Joseph Guy, who died in 1993. Although grateful to have lived this long, Guy said that at times it can be disheartening.

"At times I feel a little sad, to know that I don't have many relatives around, because most of my relatives are gone; my best friends are gone," Guy said. "Nobody as far as I know has lived to my age. My uncle was the closest one - my mother's brother, and he died when he was about 96," Guy added. Though she never had any biological, she raised a stepdaughter and husband's sister as if they were her own.

The soon to be centenarian believes the secret to long life is simply being loving and kind.

"I love people and people love me. Some not all, not everyone will love you. And I love to help people in whatever way I can. I'm not a rich person. I'm very poor because a teacher is always a poor person...but I love people and I make friends with everybody," Guy said.