At 103, Corentyne grandma returns to birthplace to celebrate

More than a century after her story began in the village of Fyrish on the Corentyne Coast, Region Six (East Berbice–Corentyne), Loise Millicent Lambert, affectionately called “Grand Ma”, returned home on Wednesday to celebrate her 103rd birthday.
She was surrounded by family that now stretches across five generations – children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and great-great-great-grandchildren.
When this publication visited her at her daughter’s home in Fyrish, Lambert was dressed for the occasion, seated comfortably as relatives moved in and out, marking the milestone. Communication came largely through her daughter, Linda Lambert, but even in her quiet responses, there were flashes of the spirit that has carried her through the decades, smiling, nodding and expressing a simple wish to “dance” and “sing”.
According to her daughter, Lambert’s condition has remained relatively stable over the past year, although her step has become unsteady and her hearing is not as sharp as it once was. She now relies on a walker for support and requires assistance with certain daily activities. Despite this, she has not suffered any major illnesses and continues to be monitored by an overseas-based physician.
Her diet has also been adjusted with age as meals are now mostly puréed to aid digestion, but she still enjoys familiar local favourites such as okra, carilla, boulanger (bigan), rice and soup.
At 103, she continues to attend church whenever she is able, and while she may no longer move as freely as before, music still stirs her. Family members say she responds to songs with gentle movements, nods and attempts to sing along, holding on to traditions and routines that have defined her for decades.
Born on April 22, 1923, in Fyrish Village, Lambert was married at age 19 and built her family while working in the sugar industry and taking on domestic jobs, including laundry and cooking for others in her community. Known for her culinary skills, she earned praise for dishes such as pepper-pot, sponge cake and rice porridge. Her husband died in 1987. Lambert is the mother of 12 children, nine of whom are still alive. She gave birth to her last child, former Guyana cricket fast bowler Linden Lambert, at the age of 46 years.
“So she is a strong woman,” her daughter Linda said.
“Grand Ma’s” family includes 25 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, 19 great-great-grandchildren, and two great-great-great-grandchildren, placing her at the centre of five living generations.
After spending more than three decades living in the United States, Lambert returned to Guyana in 2021 and now resides with her daughter Linda at Nurney Village.
Linda Lambert described her mother as both a blessing and a companion, expressing gratitude that she has lived to see another year despite the challenges that come with age. She noted that family members continue to gather to celebrate her life and the values she instilled in them.
Among those values, one stands out above all, contentment. It is a lesson she passed to her children through sacrifice, discipline and love. And now, at 103, as laughter and celebration fill the home around her, “Grand Ma” remains at the centre of it all, still wanting, in her own words, to dance, to sing, and to be surrounded by the family she has spent more than a century building.