Wakenaam’s ‘Aunty Clar’ is 100!

Aug 20, 2008 News

It was a blissful setting at the Windjammer Restaurant in the city, last evening, when family members, friends and other well-wishers gathered to celebrate the 100th birthday of Ms Clara Ryhus.

And according to close family members, Aunty Clar, as she is familiarly known, has attained the coveted age in good health and strength as well as with a good a sense of humour.

‘Aunty Clar’ who hails from the Wakenaam community of Zeelandia was born on August 19, 1908, but has for the past few weeks been a guest of the South Ruimveldt, Georgetown home of her niece, Ms Selena Clark.

Clark disclosed that other than a few aches and pains related to old age and her fading hearing and eyesight, her aunt has been able to retain her faculties and is always fully alert and remains the jovial person she has been all her life.

Ms Clark said that while her aged aunt sometimes struggles with the aging process, she has not failed to keep up with daily routines she has become accustomed to over the years.

She noted that ‘Aunty Clar’ would even tease her about attaining the coveted age of 100 and would stress on how much of a good milestone it would be to reach.

Recounting a recent conversation with the centenarian, Ms Clark said that she related to her aunt that she would not wish to reach her age unless she was in good health, a comment which caused the aged woman to blurt out, “y’all can’t be healthy because y’all eating too much fertiliser food.”

‘Aunty Clar’ has over the years strived to be a healthy eater but today is limited to eating mostly soups and drinking fluids because of her dentures.

According to her great niece, Karen Adams, the only health scare that ‘Aunty Clar’ has ever had was when a doctor diagnosed her with hypertension and cautioned her to eat less salty foods.

A smiling Adams said that her great aunt willingly complied but was grateful that the doctor did not caution her against sweets since she has a healthy appetite for Beharry sweets.

But as part of her daily fulfilment, Ms Clark said a day does not start without ‘Aunty Clar’ reading her bible, even as she added that among her favour scriptures are “Hear Oh Israel the Lord thy God is one God” and another section which states “don’t eat your bread alone.”

Ms Clark said that over the years that one of the slogans that her aunt has retained is that “an individual should never eat his bread alone,” emphasising the importance of sharing.

And sharing was an enormous part of Aunty Clar’s life since although she did not have any children of her own to rear she cared for more children than she could count during the course of her life.

Among them was the late renowned artist Maylene Duncan and Ms Shirley Nightingale who is in fact Aunty Clar’s niece.

Ms Nightingale said that ‘Aunty Clar’ brought her up from a baby and cared for her as her very own. She said that while her aunt was an absolutely loving woman, she was extremely strict in ensuring that she grew up in an acceptable law abiding way.

Church, Ms Nightingale said, was a major part of Aunty Clar’s life. She pointed out that the centenarian’s passion for church was evident back in the days when she attended the St Paul’s Anglican Church in Wakenaam.

However, she had since opened up her Wakenaam home to the fellowship of the Assembly of Yahweh, a type of Seventh Days Adventist denomination.

Clara Ryhus is the second of 10 children born to her parents and is one of two siblings that are still alive.
Her 89-year-old sister, Iris Griffith, is also her next door neighbour in Wakenaam.
Griffith said that she is very grateful to God that he has spared both their lives to see another year.

‘Aunty Clar’ has been able to outlive two husbands, Mr Nathaniel Gibbs whom she married at the age of 19 and Mr Robert Ryhus who was her late ’50s sweetheart. He died 29 years ago.

And so it was in honour of the life and times of ‘Aunty Clar’ that family members (the Griffiths, the Adams and the Johnsons among others) gathered at the restaurant to give thanks and celebrate 100 years of joy and to pray that the Creator would bless the beautiful woman with more days of good health and strength.

The auspicious occasion was also graced by officials of the Human Services Ministry who handed over a hamper and a bouquet to the centenarian.