Plaisance resident Rita Archer yesterday turned 100 years old—a milestone her family credits to her unwavering determination to serve god.
“I believe that it is because of her lifestyle and determination to serve god that she has completed 100 years old today and [it] has led her to see four full generations of the family,” Marcia Thomas, who is one of Archer’s many grandchildren, told Sunday Stabroek during an interview yesterday.
Archer, who grew up in Georgetown, is a mother of eight (one boy and seven girls), the eldest of whom she has outlived. She was married John Archer for 56 years, after which he died. She never remarried and currently lives with one of her daughter in Plaisance.
To mark her 100th birthday, some of her children planned a celebration for her yesterday and many of their relatives travelled from far, including the United States, Canada and England, to join in. Members of the Plaisance Seventh day Adventist church, where the celebration was hosted yesterday, were also interested because Archer has been a member of the church since moving to Plaisance and has reportedly never missed a single Sabbath, save for those times when she was sick.
Thomas explained that before her aunts and uncles moved with their children to various locations across the globe, they all lived under one roof. And while they were all under that one roof, Archer, known as “Aie” in the community, ensured that all her grandchildren were involved in church-related activities. Thomas said that as far back as she can remember, Archer, would wake them daily for morning devotions and did not miss an opportunity to take them to church. She noted that sometimes her mother would not go to church but there was always a long line of grandchildren behind Archer.
As a result, Thomas said, she and most of her cousins, like their grandmother, became god-fearing Christians. “Aie was a very good example to all of us. She taught me to love god and I am still in the church today. Her taking me to church was a good experience for me because I have seen God’s work in her. She never forced anyone to go to church but it’s because of her faith and what she taught me that I am a believer today. My grandmother is my spiritual mentor,” Thomas stated.
Thomas further added that her grandmother made a huge impact on her life as a mother. When she started her own family, she pointed out, she always remembered the way her grandmother brought her up and tries to bring up her children the same that she was brought up.
After moving to the Bahamas, Thomas said that she kept in contact with Archer via Skype and during those conversations her grandmother was very funny and cognisant even though she had fallen ill.
Another of Archer’s grandchildren, Morrell Bunbury, agreed with Thomas. He moved to United States when he was 11 years old and lost contact for a while but when he returned to Guyana, she remembered him.
He added that just before he left he vividly remembered her praying for him because he was the first of her grandchildren to move away. Bunbury disclosed that he is the first born of Archer’s youngest child and from the time he was born, she took care of him so he was very unhappy when he had to leave her. “She pretty much took care of me,” he stated, while noting that although Archer is a vegetarian, she still cooks non-vegetarian dishes for them.
Bunbury noted that he was not surprised to learn that she made a great impact on the residents of Plaisance. “We call her Aie and she’s Aie to everyone. She’s our grandma but she is Aie to the whole community, everyone knows her and they love her,” he stated.
Like Thomas, Bunbury described Archer as “god-fearing.” “We always had to go to church. All the Archer kids had to sit in the front with their grandma. I have no bad memory of her. She is so god-fearing. I have no memory of her ever being negative. From the time I was born she was a Christian and she has been that one way,” he stated.
Meanwhile, her daughter, Joyce Archer, said, when she was a child, her mother “was a very loving and caring woman.” Joyce revealed that her mother never worked, so she was always around when she and her siblings and their children needed her. “She brought us up in the fear of Christ and she did same for my grandchildren. When it comes to the Sabbath, she was a very dedicated,” Joyce said.
She added that while Archer gets sick more often now, she remains strong in her faith and always gets well. “It’s a blessing that god has kept her alive to this day because many times we thought that she would’ve died because of her sickness but she survived by the grace of god and her insistence of serving him,” she said.
