Biography
Verna Celistina Frederick
Born 12.1.22
Verna was born in Liberta to Princess Amelia Richards and Charles (Charlie) Frederick. Verna is one of 8 and is blessed to have one of her oldest sisters here, Veda Evanegline Joseph who lives in Liberta.
After several invites, Verna migrated to Leicester, UK to join Khaki William Alexander Francis in 1960 to pursue her career in nursing.
Verna has always been a hard-working mother and had many jobs in the caring profession to be able to support her young family.
She has always been ambitious, striving to have the best for her family which resulted in her buying her own home and building a second home in Antigua.
Not only did she have great ambition for herself but she supported her friends and other family members to achieve a better standard of living for themselves. Her caring nature meant that she adopted many young women who left left their families behind in the Caribbean and took them in as her own, supporting them during their nursing careers.
Verna has always been a strong believer in her Saviour. Her strong belief in God has kept her uplifted and positive throughout her journey and this radiates to whoever she comes in contact with. She is loved and appreciated for this very reason and many would describe her a ‘one in a million’.
Verna has 7 children: Bernard, Rolett, Sylvia, Kelly, Beris, Rhonie (Bobsy) and Sharon who she loves dearly and shows her appreciation regularly.
She is a woman who shows gratitude and love daily and will welcome everyone with open arms into her home.
She is blessed to have many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren, not to mention her adopted grans. She has many nieces/nephews who also love her dearly.
Verna has a great appetite and will regularly request a hearty, Antiguan dish. Her favourite being fungi & saltfish followed which used to be followed by a stiff brandy but has now been swapped to a spiced ovaltine.
She has always been creative and resourceful always living by the biblical quote ‘Nothing shall waste said Haggai’. Her hobbies included knitting, sewing, hat/jewellery making, flower arranging and not forgetting a good game of dominoes.
Verna continues to have a jovial spirit, entertaining us with her many stories from her youth. We love her for her witty character, giving nature and her abundance of love.
Happy 100th Birthday Mommy/Mom/Granny/GG
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Blessed Birthday Greetings Granny
Wha’! Another centenarian, we must be the most healthiest food organic place on the planet 🌏
What is your secret?
Happy birthday Verna. Blessings 🙏
Happy birthday 🎂
ONE THOUGHT or TWO
Congratulations “Mother Verna” on your 100 years of Excellence!
Respect and honor Mrs. Verna Celistina Frederick (SGOE), Senior Grandparent Order of Excellence! You are truly blessed to have your sister Veda Evangeline Joseph of Liberta with you for the celebration.
Thousands of our African- Caribbean people were lured to England, “UK motherland”, in the 50s and 60s with the pitch of economic opportunities and progress, plenty jobs to reconstruct London after WW2’s destruction.
Hundreds of our people ‘did not make it’ and some were threatened with deportation and even deported after years of contribution to the economy, the Windrush generation (1948-1971) scandal. Woeful!!
In your noble profession as a Nurse, you were truly blessed to help (“adopt”) many of our African-Caribbean people in England thereby building lifelong relationships. You never lost your identity as an African-Caribbean woman in the colonial culture and by building your home in Antigua made sure of your “roots.”
“Lest we forget, // And our identity is lost….For as a people we sure are unique.”
Our venerable, noble, native Centenarians, ancestors of our heroic enslaved Africans had few and no choices within the economic and education systems of colonialism and slavery to earn a living: “Washing, cleaning, working in the canefield and picking cotton.”
Their labor produced the economic wealth and cultural benefits of our colonizers.
It’s time to change that colonial culture!
WE MUST PRIORITIZE STEM ( the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) + creative Arts + business/ entrepreneurship / trade, Pre-K to Tertiary, in the curriculum of EVERY PUBLIC SCHOOL and INSTITUTION, year-round, in-school, extra-curricular programs (after school activities), summer to unlock our youths’ creative genius and achieve our economic growth and social development.
Let us interact with each other, with humility, grace, good intentions!
Save our Humanity, Save our Youths, Save our Environment, Save our Soil!!!
Respect
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