110, Strong-willed, and independent; Celebrating the life and times of Ms Dora Skeen

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege.” Author Unknown

She sounded light and lively, her jubilant laugh echoed through the phone. I was speaking to Ms Dora Keen, a long-time resident of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada who turned 110 on December 29th, 2020. What makes that so remarkable is that she has witnessed another life changing event that has affected the world, and survived it. Ms Dora survived the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

Dora Skeen was born on December 29th, 1910 in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Back home, Dora made a living working on her family’s farm. It was hard work, but it was the way of life back then. It was during the harvest that Dora would take the family crops and sell them at the market. She moved to Canada in October 1980 and worked as a nanny until she retired at the age of 80.

She is the proud mother of eight children (six that are still living); twenty grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren, and six great great grandchildren, one who was welcomed to the family most recently.

Statistics Canada reported that in 2017, the life expectancy was 81.5 years with males at 78 years old and females at 83 years. When someone makes it to 100 years old, we marvel at the thought. To think that Dora has gone ten years beyond an age that we marvel is exactly why it was important to highlight her momentous birthday.

Attitude is key to optimal health, and research continues to show that people who have a positive outlook live longer. This can definitely be said about Ms Dora, and was made very apparent when I had a chance to speak with her step-granddaughter.

“She is a very happy person,” she began. “She has a certain way of answering the phone, and if I call her and she does not answer the phone with that spark in her voice, I will head right over to her house to see if everything is okay.

She is very jovial. It has always been nice to talk to her. She is a short woman, but very powerful. Her strong will is what keeps her independent, and people are surprised by how active and opinionated she is, even at her age.

She has an impeccable memory. During the summer she looks forward to corn. If I walk in without the corn, she will remind me of it. She will eat two to three corn, and she loves to cook her cow foot soup.”

At that point, she gave Dora a call.

The woman on the end of the phone sounded strong. She gave a throaty laugh over a personal joke between them. You could feel the joy in her laughter. She started making them laugh.

I could tell when listening to her that Ms Dora had mastered the art of upholding a positive attitude. I learned that she keeps fit and eats healthy. Her dialogue expressed how engaged she was in living a full life. I was curious; was it this attitude that had allowed her to develop resilience to the challenges that are associated with growing older?

During COVID-19, Dora kept herself safe by following the guidelines prescribed by the government: social distancing, washing her hands, and staying isolated as much as possible from others. Her family would still visit her, but they were mindful because of her age. She was not happy at the beginning of the lockdown, but over the time she resigned herself to the circumstances.

In 2021, she is looking forward to whatever the Lord has in store for her.

Elders hold an important position as the head of the family and of their communities. They are key to our cultural development as they are the ones who share their wisdom, help guide the youth, and pave the way for generations to come. It is important that we honour them and respect them for all that they have done for us.

We celebrate you Ms Dora. We wish you many birthdays to come.