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For his 100th birthday celebration yesterday, Adolphus Powell sipped on a glass of Baileys Rum Cream and had a viral party with his loved ones overseas.

His plans to celebrate with his eight children at his home in Oakland Crescent off Waltham Park Road was hampered by the current pandemic, but the centenarian remains in good spirits despite the setback.

"Mi feel very good to be alive and mi strong same way. Mi feel happy," he said. Though he is battling dementia, Powell is otherwise in tip-top shape and his appearance belies his age. He walks around with very little assistance and still manages to play dominoes and sips on a glass of rum cream whenever he is in the mood.

Dapperly dressed

When THE STAR team arrived, Powell was dapperly dressed in a suit as he sat watching his family members decorating the verandah for the party later in the afternoon.

Daughter Audrey Powell, 69, said she currently resides in Canada and came home a month earlier to celebrate the milestone.

"Most of his children are overseas and wanted to be here so we are just going to do something like a zoom and let other family members wish him a happy birthday and we have a little party. We just have to work with what's happening and try and make his day as happy as possible," she said.

Powell was born February 15, 1921 in St Elizabeth but relocated to Kingston decades ago in search of a better job. He was married for 60 years and fathered 11 children, three of whom are deceased. His lineage spans to four generations which includes approximately 30 grandchildren.

"He worked in construction and even helped to build part of the University Hospital. Him work as a plumber and my father was just always working. He would take very little time to rest because he had 11 of us plus other children that he took as his own. Whenever he took the free time though, he would play dominoes because he enjoys that," Audrey said.

Her face lit up as she took THE STAR down memory lane stating that her dad was a quiet disciplinarian compared to her mother.

"He wouldn't rough us girls up but he was strong on the boys. One thing I can remember though is that if it pass 6 p.m., you just couldn't venture out the gate or else is problem," she laughed.

"Education was very high on his list so he would always encourage us to take up our books. There are times when I got tired of studying so I would sometimes put a magazine in the textbook and read so he would think I am studying," she laughed again.

Her sister Andrea, 71, said their dad always tells them to save no matter how small their salaries are.

"He has several tenants and he always tells them that as well. He loves to give good advice and I still live by his teachings especially, the saving one," she said.