EULOGY FOR THE LATE LUCINTHA ARCHER

  EULOGY FOR THE LATE LUCINTHA ARCHER

It is said that losing a loved one is one of the most difficult things we can possibly experience as human beings, but I am sure whoever said this wasn’t thinking about the task which I now embark on to contain myself in a detailed summary of the life of my mother-in-law who I call, ‘Grandma’. 

It is usual for tributes and eulogies at funerals to be colourfully decorated with some of the sweetest things about an individual. Undoubtedly it is no different in this instance. In some cases there are whispers that the eulogy may have been the exaggerated truth, but this time the challenge is putting together a bouquet with the best roses in a garden laden with the most beautiful flowers that is larger than the size of Jamaica.

I refer to the lovingness, kindness, humbleness, and peacefulness of ‘Grandma” that stretches from Jamaica to her families, relatives and friends at home and in the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom as a garden because of the handsome life she lived.

On April 5, 1926, Lucintha Archer entered this world to parents Cecil Archer and Mable Knight in the Eden community of Mocho, Clarendon. The third child and only girl of three siblings, Lucintha left Mocho at an early age to live in York Town with her grandmother, Virginia Edwards, the great ‘Mother Chin’. She also spent a large portion of her childhood living with the Darbies. For those who have always wondered, it was there she learnt all the Indian cuisine, especially the roti which she is infamously known for in many parts of this world.

Grandma’s formal learning saw her attending the Four Paths Elementary School. This was apparently inadequate to accommodate all her learning needs as she subsequently returned to Mocho to learn embroidering and dressmaking.

Grandma was a woman of many occupations; she was a seamstress; a tobacco worker with the late Charles Darby; a household helper; farmer, a lifetime chef extraordinaire and spent 16 years at the Health Centre.

Over the years Miss Lucintha came to be everyone’s Grandma, Madah Lus, Mama, and Aunt Lus despite association or the fact that she only had seven children: Aloma Learmond, Panceta Sinclair, Winston Sinclair, Ilene Sinclair (who passed away several years ago), Antonio Burch, Verona Briscoe and Annette Murray. She is also called Lussa, Sister Lus, and Biggis.

Grandma was a caring Christian woman who was uncharacteristically faithful in all she did for God through the church and the circumspect way she lived. Sister Lus became a member of the York Town United Brethren Church over forty years ago under the leadership of Pastor Gerald Smith at a Crusade ministered by Pastor Mitchell from St. Elizabeth. This mother of seven accepted the water that Jesus offered to the woman of Samaria and that water continued to be a spring welling up within her until her death.

Over the years Miss Lus was honoured by the different departments of the Church namely the Youth, Men’s and Women’s departments. On November 26, 2006, she was presented with a plaque for long and outstanding service to the Church.  A faithful and outstanding member of the Women’s Missionary Fellowship, Miss Lus served on that Executive body for many years.  She was the Church’s resident cook, so whether it was cooking for overseas visitors, WMF Rally, Youth Rally or whatever occasion calls for cooking she was in the kitchen.  Some persons will attend Sunday school as children and stop when they become adults but not so with this great woman of God.  She rarely missed Sunday School or any church service for that matter.

Words cannot begin to describe nor can the world’s best painter produce a stunning artwork to depict how wonderful a woman grandma was: a mother, sister, grandmother, friend, cousin, great grandmother, aunt, mother-in-law and you must permit me, our own personal international chef. If she was a Christmas tree there wouldn’t be enough space to hang all her accolades.

Her children describe her as a loving, kind and caring mother who loved her children very much. This is evident in how she did her best to raise them to become successful in their own right. As a single mother she ensured they had all the necessary things they needed, had a good school attendance and academic record and of course they all had to attend church. Grandma was a hardworking woman who was always there for her children, grand and great children, relatives and friends. When her grandchildren were born she was there for each and every one of them. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, her children arise up and call her blessed.  Many women do noble things but Sister Lus surpass them all.

Hard work is probably an understatement to describe how relentless and dedicated a woman Madah Lus was. For some reason she never thought she should be sitting down and not being busy. If you want an early 6am breakfast, your best guess would be to stop at Mama. There is hardly a time she is never up at 4am to have her devotion where she would pray for everybody, and then the pots would be bubbling and ready.

About five years before she retired from the Health Centre, there were some whispers among her children and grandchildren to figure the most suitable way to ask her to stop working and stay home. One of her grandsons, Alrick gave the only and most possible solution. It was agreed the only time Grandma would stop working is when the government told her she had to.

This idea wasn’t very fruitful, because she was always finding something to do in the house or in the community. Whether it was to go visiting, comb a shut-in’s hair, praying with the Prayer group, giving a hot meal or a package to some indigent person, Miss Lus was always on the move.  Outside of that she had her regular routines with Sisters Cons and Lin, her neighbours and very good friends. She is such a workaholic that at one point with the assistance of Sister Cons, Joe Roach and some others, she embarked on subsistence farming in her backyard. There was no stopping this woman.

Recently, despite Janice’s protest she would not stop cooking in the house or making roti. Even with the assistance of her church brothers and sisters, she just wouldn’t rest. Her good friend and church brother Maschell, can tell you how she stood up to him in his attempt to accost about her persistence with work. And when she finally accepted that she can’t be engaged in cooking at church, she still had to take a seat where the food was cooking at the WMF Jamaica night at church.

Sister Lus, Grandma, Mama, Aunt Lus, Bigis, or whatever we call her is most known for her kindness. She was everybody’s friend.  This woman had no enemy. All her grandchildren had to participate in the radiance of her kindness. Despite their unwillingness they had to take a meal for Mass Cecil up by the train line at least three times a week. They also had to get ready at Christmas time to write her list for the WMF New Year’s treat at church.

Most of you may not know this, but besides Grandma’s cooking, she is also good for preserving things. She not only takes very good care of her belongings, but she also put away quite a bit for safekeeping. There was always a bar of soap, candy, housedress, or something. In fact she has left an abundance of housedresses, perhaps enough for even the largest home for the elderly in Clarendon.

Sister Lucintha’s love had no boundaries. Her warmth and meals were always anticipated by Briscoe’s coworkers those days when he did a lot of late night shifts. She took extra special care for her sons-in-laws: Briscoe, Charlie and Dennis. Additionally, in election time, she was there to lend her support for her party. If every grandchild wanted a something different to eat for dinner she would ensure that everyone got what they want.

On Monday, March 29, 2010, God called her home. Blessed is the dead who die in the Lord.

Miss Lus leaves to celebrate her life 6 children, Aloma, Panceta, Winston, Tony, Verona and Janice, 15 Grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, 3 brothers, Alan, Israel and Sydney, two of whom lives overseas, nieces, nephews, other relatives, church family and some really special friends.

May the road rise up to meet you; May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face and rains fall softly upon your fields and until we meet again; May God hold you in the palm of his hand

Grandma you are gone but you will not be forgotten.  You are at peace.