Jamaican-Canadian supercentenarian remembered with fondness

TORONTO:

The family of Jamaican-Canadian Isnet May Oldfield, 110, affectionately known as ‘Gweenie’ and ‘Mama’ is remembering her life as one “filled with courage, faith, generosity, family, and an unwavering determination to keep learning and growing.” She died on September 30.

Oldfield was born on April 3, 1916, in Chapelton, Clarendon, and was one of 11 children of Albert Dwyer and Madeline McDonald.

At 14, she was forced to leave school because of the restrictions placed on girls and their access to education at the time. However, her grandmother, Virginia Wright, took her to Cuba, where she continued her education and was raised by her grandmother and an uncle.

“That early experience would leave a lasting mark. Isnet never lost her curiosity or her desire to understand the world around her,” notes Oldfield’s obituary.

After returning to Jamaica, where she learned to sew, she later married Sydney Oldfield and moved to May Pen. Together, they raised 10 children and eventually returned to Chapelton.

“But Isnet always preferred city life. Eventually, she returned to May Pen, where she found work as a nurse caring for war veterans and people with disabilities in an infirmary. Caring for others was a recurring theme throughout her life and, even while working, she helped raise seven of her grandchildren.”

Sydney passed away in 1970. A few years later, Oldfield immigrated to Toronto with seven of her grandchildren and her youngest daughter. Two of her daughters had previously left Jamaica for Canada in 1974.

In Toronto, she continued working as a live-in nurse, caring for the elderly and bringing the same compassion and sense of responsibility to others that had characterised so much of her life.

“Her roots remained firmly planted in Jamaica, but her family’s branches continued to grow across the world. Over the course of her extraordinary life, Isnet witnessed seven generations of her family, with descendants whose lives extended from Jamaica to Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States,” it notes further.

Oldfield lived with her youngest daughter and her two children, who cared for her with the support and love of their extended family.

Her family noted that she loved the colour red and was an avid reader who kept up with world news, politics, and history.

“She loved worship music and could often be found singing along, tambourine in hand. She was generous with what she had and regularly donated to charities that mattered to her. And she remained, in the best possible way, stubborn, spirited, opinionated, and determined to do things her own way. That spirit never left her,” the tribute details.

A visitation will be held on October 29 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at New Haven Funeral Centre, 7025 Legion Road, Mississauga, Ontario. The funeral service will be held on October 30 at 10 a.m. It will be preceded by a viewing from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the funeral centre. Interment will follow at Brampton Cemetery, 10 Wilson Avenue, Brampton, Ontario