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When Isabella 'Suety' Edwards gathered with her family to celebrate her 101st birthday on December 28, she reportedly implored them to get their acts together and seek the Lord. The COVID-19 pandemic, she said, should be any eye-opener to the world that end time is near.

The centenarian was born in 1919 in Manchester, but spent most of her life in Scott's Pass, Clarendon. She is the mother of four children, 12 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren.

"The Bible has to fulfill and we have to remember that God Word has to come to pass. He spoke about diseases and pestilences. We are close to the end of the world and this is not a joking ting. I have seen and experienced a lot of things but nothing like this. We must ask God for forgiveness and draw closer to Him now," she said.

Edwards and her younger brother are the only two remaining siblings of five. She celebrated her big day indoors, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has necessitated the implementation of physical gathering rules. Her great-granddaughter, Annastasica Daring, said that when Edwards turned 100 in 2019, they had a massive party.

"Almost everyone in the community gave her gifts because she is the one of the oldest in the area. This year is quite the opposite, but my Suety is grateful just the same. Although she had to remain indoors, she still had a great time. She relaxed all day and was just really happy. She sang and just have fun," Daring said.

She said that her great grandmother was a very well-known higgler who spent the majority of her life selling fruits and nuts by the rail station in Clarendon Park. She also sold cashew nuts at Caymanas Park in St Catherine.

"She was very passionate about her job since it was to maintain family," said Daring, who added that Edwards was never married "but always said she was charmed by good quality men".

A disciplinarian

"She is a Christian and a disciplinarian, who even now maintain good principles and instill morals and values in her grand and great grands and great-great-grandchildren," Daring said.

According to Daring, Edwards is a sharp and hilarious storyteller whose stories remain fresh in the minds of her listeners for a long time.

"Just sitting down listening to her long ago stories makes memories. She loves to sing, she is optimistic and that's a quality I got from here. I love her so much that I named my daughter after her," Daring said.

She says the centenarian credits her long life and good health to her good diet and her optimistic outlook on life.

"She sees the good in every situation. She in good physical health, no aliments. She has poor sight and would often says her ears are lazy, but with the help of a hearing aid, she is okay. She still washes her underwear saying that it's her job. She is just really fun to be around," Daring said.