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A rare 'Pearl' at 100

Pearl Oxford at a family member's birthday party at the age of 88. - Contributed

PEARL OXFORD, 100, has lived life to its fullest, and now only the stories that her family tells remain.

She was born on January 6, 1905 in Rae Town, Kingston. She went to the St. George's Infant Girls School, Kingston, and later the Kingston Technical School.

Pearl, affectionately called Miss P, or Aunt Pearl by her family members and those in her Vineyard Town, Kingston community, was a devout Anglican at the St. Michael's Anglican Church for more than 60 years.

When THE WEEKEND STAR visited Pearl's home, she was bedridden and unable to talk and move.

Her son Neville says even up to age 92, she was still taking the bus to pay her utility bills and to go to church.

He said the thing he loves the most about his mother is her kindness. "She is always thinking about other people. She is also a very health-conscious person."

Neville's father, who died in 1984, was married to his mother for 42 years. The two met in 1940, and were married in 1942.

The marriage produced three children: Earle was born in 1943, Karl, in 1944, and Neville in 1948.

When asked about the type of mother that Miss Pearl was, Neville said, "She was a disciplinarian; she didn't believe in sparing the rod and spoiling the child."

Neville says his mother was a housemaker and a dressmaker and that was how she supported them, while they went to school.

Miss Pearl's longevity can be attributed to her healthy lifestyle, says Neville. "She has always been an early riser. She used to get up early most mornings at 5 a.m., and she used to eat mostly green leafy vegetables."

Miss Pearl has four grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.