100 years young - Henrietta Williams measures milestone in lives touched

At 100 years old, retired educator Henrietta Adina Williams measures her life not in years, but in service -- to children whose parents could not afford to pay, adults learning to read for the first time, and a community she never turned away from.

"I feel good. I give thanks," Williams said, reflecting on the milestone.

Born on January 19, 1926, Williams was raised in Hall's Delight, St Andrew. She described her childhood as joyful yet disciplined, shaped by strong Christian values at home.

"I was a happy, growing child there," she recalled. "I had to behave myself well because my parents were Christians, and so I am a Christian... so I must behave myself nicely."

Williams' love of learning began long before she entered a classroom. With help from an older sister, she learnt to read at home, giving her a head start when she eventually enrolled in school.

"I learnt to read at home before going to school," she said. "When I reached school, I was well bright, could read good."

That early foundation grew into a lifelong calling. Teaching, she said, was never just a job.

"I really love teaching," Williams told THE STAR.

Her dedication kept her in the classroom even when payment was not guaranteed. She continued teaching children whose parents could not afford fees, driven more by compassion than compensation.

"Some of their parents couldn't pay," she said. "I didn't have no trouble with the parents, because I love the children, and I taught the children well."

Over the years, Williams taught multiple grade levels and subjects, including reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies. She became especially known for her insistence on neat handwriting, often being asked by her principal to prepare writing samples on the chalkboard.

"The children had to write pretty and correctly," she said.

Her commitment extended beyond school hours. While living in Portland, she offered extra lessons to struggling students, including those deemed 'not bright enough' in the formal system.

"They come to me ... to help them," she said.

At home, Williams' personal and professional lives were closely intertwined. She described her marriage as stable and loving.

"We live very good," she said. "We had five children, three girls and two boys."

When her husband died in 1973, she was left to raise the family alone -- a challenge she said she survived through faith.

"The Lord helped me," Williams said. "The Lord really helped me."

Despite the strain she ensured, all her children stayed in school and received proper guidance.

"And all the children went to school," she said. "Everybody out there now has a job."

Around that time, Williams also took in a baby left at her gate by a relative, raising the child alongside her own.

"I had to take the baby," she said, adding that she treated him "as if it was my own child".

Retirement from government service did not slow her down. Williams went on to teach at a private institution. But her service extended far beyond classrooms. She volunteered in adult literacy programmes, helping older Jamaicans learn to read and write, and spent decades serving the church as a lay reader, often stepping in when the clergy were unavailable.

Asked about the secret to reaching the century mark, Williams pointed to moderation, faith, and the care of her family.

"I eat everything, except cocoa," she said with a laugh, noting that her children now carefully manage her meals.

Her diet, she said, focuses largely on fruits and vegetables, but she believes her outlook on life has mattered just as much.

"Love children, man. And God," Williams said. "I kept cheerful ... and take care of my children. And take care of people's children."