Another gem of the island, Susanna Williams, at the age of 102 has had her wishes of returning to Dominica granted after living in New York for 19 years.
And she is here to stay.
Hailing from the village of Mopo on the eastern coast of Dominica, Williams grew up in a poor home and so the majority of her meals came from ground provision and a lot of smoked fish “by the barrels”, according to her granddaughter Ruth Augustine, who lived with Williams from since she was a baby.
Augustine told DNO that every week, throughout the entire week, her grandmother would eat ground provision and on Sundays, she would make a special request for only rice and beans.
“Mostly every morning it was green bananas and maybe we would have smoked flying fish. She would stew it up with spinach and at times it would be breadfruit or green bananas we would have for breakfast,” she said.
As part of her daily intake of food and nutrients, Williams drank water to which bitter woods were added. She also never went a day without drinking a tablespoon of Cod Liver Oil, first thing in the morning.
Augustine also said that the main reason for her grandmother returning is simply because she has had enough of the fast paced city life and decided that “It’s time for her to come home.”
“What I think is, she wants to come home and she has told them on numerous occasions that she doesn’t want to die in America. They caught her talking to herself about it and when they overheard her speaking to herself, they realized that they had to take action,” she said.
It is interesting to note that before arriving in Dominica via the Ferry Terminal in Roseau, Williams found it difficult to articulate words. Now that she has arrived, she is indeed making efforts to speak with slow but sure success.
Williams was described by her granddaughter as a woman who “worked very hard.”
“You would find that in those days they had to walk from a distance, they had to walk to the heights to plant their food. Sometimes she would much on the fruits, the cane the coconuts and then she would come home,” Augustine said.
Despite the fact that recently the centenarian had some difficulty in speaking and being quite down, the family has high hopes that once she is re-established in her homeland, she will definitely return to normalcy.
“I believe that when my grandmother gets back and she goes home, I believe that my grandmother, just knowing that she is home, she will feel much better and she will get back to her same ole’ self,” Augustine said.
The only health problem that Williams ever had was gastritis from eating very lightly and in small portions when taking long walking trips from one place to another back in her younger days.
The family plans on celebrating her return and making her stay the best that it can be.
Welcome home Mama..!!
Wap wap wap.!
Anty Pet, you see how GOD’S working.!
Nobody can’t stand, in front of HIM.
Uncle Joseph you’re the son all mums want to have.!
Alberte GOD will take care of you.
Portia David Ruth Don ;
The CHRISTOPHE familly, tonton Serge and Anty Ruth in Guadeloupe, blessings for all you..!
Queen Mother you have lived to see
So many things considered to be history
You ate well, exercised and drank
And I’m sure you continue to give thanks
To the many who have been on your side
Even though with you some did not reside
The universe is truly aware
As your children continue to take care
I Wish You Many More Years!!!
HI, EVERYONE I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE MYSELF I’M THE GRANDDAUGTHER
OF MRS SUSANNA WILLIAMS AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FORTHEIR WONERFUL AND EMBRACEING HER WELCOMING HOME. MY GRANDMA HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB RISING ME AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK HER.
LOVE U MAMA THAT’S WHAT WE CALLED HER WHEN WE WERE younger.
I’M VERY PROUD OF HER AND TO SEE THAT SHE HAVE LIVE TO SEE A
102 YEARS OLD.
Augustine told DNO that every week, throughout the entire week, her grandmother would eat ground provision and on Sundays, she would make a special request for only rice and beans.
“Mostly every morning it was green bananas and maybe we would have smoked flying fish. She would stew it up with spinach and at times it would be breadfruit or green bananas we would have for breakfast,” she said.
“You would find that in those days they had to walk from a distance, they had to walk to the heights to plant their food. Sometimes she would much on the fruits, the cane the coconuts and then she would come home,” Augustine said.
As part of her daily intake of food and nutrients, Williams drank water to which bitter woods were added. She also never went a day without drinking a tablespoon of Cod Liver Oil, first thing in the morning.
Some would think in those days that these foods were poor people’s food but contrariwise, she was really eating right, as far as I am concerned.
PEACE,Queen…
Wow! I am so happy for this family. Congratulations Ma Harris! I grew up in San Sauveur with this lady…buying coconut tablet and popcorn etc.. from her. God bless you all…
Ok she lived in NY for 19 years. Did she go there at 83? If so, how much of the fast-paced life did she really experience?
But anyways, great to have her home. She must be a living history book
JAh bless my grandmother
Best wishes mam. May God bless you with another 50 years!
I think she returned home to jump up in carnival and enjoy more of her fig and smoked fish!
Congratulations to a tenacious woman, may she continue to enjoy the nature island.
Love and blessings to you.
Just to clarify a couple of points.Mrs Susanna Williams is also known as Ma.Harris of San Sauveur.She aquired US Citizenship and lived in the US with her three children Pierrette ,Boston and Joseph Williams
I wish Susanna well, however, I think that she wanted to return home because she knows that the end is near and she wanted to be in her homeland where she feels more comfortable.
Wow! A ripe age of 102, young!
Another healthy centenarian and counting! She has lived a good life, eating nutritious foods of the soil, root vegetables.
Welcome back home! Thanks to her family, her wish is granted. There is no doubt, in her heart, she loved Dominica and missed it.
The words of a song:
Mid pleasures and palaces, though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.
She may know this song.
The tropical weather will restore her to her ‘ole” self.
God bless her and grant her as many more years as He sees fit with health and strength.
God bless you, her family for taking such good care of your loved one and granting her wish to return home Many happy days/years together..
Wow what a beautiful story and a love for her home land . So happy her wishes were honored by her wonderful family, so may God grant and provide her love, comfort, peace, serenity throughout the remaining years of her life. A true Dominican Patriot??.
I’d come back to Dominica if I finished live my life too, nothing for young people to do down here, go and make your money overseas and come back as a senior and eat tawtaw.
I hope other families who has elderly in America asking to be brought back to Dominica will honor their wishes faster. I am young but it is a deep desire in the heart.Sometimes children do not understand that desire. My grandmother begged to go back home on many occasions yet they could not figure out a way to honor her wishes. Since i am a granddaughter I did not have much of a say in the decision but i felt here ache.
There are advantages, and disadvantages in a choice of living in both countries. If an individual over a hundred years old have good family support in the United States, I suggest it would be better if the hundred year plus old remain here especially if they have medical issues.
If the family support is not there perhaps Dominica might be the ideal place to be; then again, what’s the difference, in Dominica older people are neglected some worst than if they were in America. An old person like her could have received in home care, service paid for by the State in which she lived, while her younger relatives go out to work.
I agree at her age may she does not have any friends, considering she came out here at approximately eighty-three years old, friendship is not easily come by out here. If it is a situation where she was left alone in a house, Dominica might be a better place for her, if she her mobility comes via a wheal chair, and she does not sound caring family Dominica…
I am in the Home Care industry in America, I totally disagree with some of your comments. again some. my packed up and left for Dominica, Home is where the heart is, it happens in all culture.
“Dominica might be a better place for her, if she her mobility comes via a wheal chair, and she does not sound caring family Dominica…”
That should read Dominica might be a better place for her if her mobility comes via a wheal chair. It is not easy living in America at her age if she lacks the ability to ambulate on ones own!
Living anywhere close to a hundred years old is a gift from God; she lived thirty-two years more than the guaranty time God gave us all which is seventy. There must be a reason for that. I was fortunate to see my grandmother died at 103 years old; another relative lived to be a 105 right there in Wesley. If it was her desire to return home her happy feelings will cause her to live quite a few more years.
Well done , Congratulations Ms Williams !
102? Blessings upon blessings! Hope she has a very comfortable place to enjoy the rest of her life with family!!
I would have loved to know how many children she had since you only mentioned her granddaughter.
The grand daughter is the spokeswoman but her mum (the daughter of the Centenarian is also in the picture). There is also another daughter there as and one of the many Great Grands. Not all of them went to the airport.
Wow just the natural stuff she ate,God BLESS YOU
Hope it wasn’t Trump that sent her back home. We will be seeing a lot of Dominicans coming home very soon with his new laws with illegal aliens.
Trump didn’t send her back.
She has her Green card and her Passport..
A lot of idiots floating around. Some people just cannot see something good without saying sone thing bad.
john wallace was just being sarcastic. you people on the comments take everything so serious
you can only have a passport OR a green card you cannot have both
Way Papa.. Thats all I saying !!!!
That is a very foolish remark! If this woman was here for 19 years, unless she overstayed her visa, by now she should have obtained her citizenship after living here for the first five years.
If she is a citizen there is nothing Trump can do to affect her. What you might soon see are the Dominicans who are here illegally, wasting time; some of them are jail birds might be on their way out! At her age any first year Immigration Attorney could have got permanent residence based on humanitarian grounds because of her age.
Now I made no claim that the woman was here illegal, so read me correctly!
Dude you need to understand…….a lot of us (don’t know about you) get home sick. It’s like Dominica becomes part of some of our DNA. We think about DA, we keep drawing comparison (negative and positive), most of us can’t go a week without checking DNO. Oh the love of my Island and all that I miss.
I live out here but am convinced the only reason i haven’t return home is the scare of not being able to financially sustain my living standards in Dominica.
With that said. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my Island
Congratulations to Lady Williams at the grand age of 102
This appears to be a very loving, caring, and happy family. I hope we will take an example from them. What we sow in our younger years has a way of coming back to us in later life.
May God give them good health and many blessings in the time they are allowed to remain together.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
Congratulations to Lady Williams at the grand age of 102
This appears to be such a loving and caring family. May God bless them with good health and much happiness in their remaining time together! The kindness they have shown to each other is an example I hope we will follow.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
Please forgive this repetition. It was not intentional. My computer seems to have malfunctioned.
Sincerely, Don Hill.
well done my old lady,many more years too come.
how nice
Aww what a blessing. Bless her soul
She have seen, government come and go. I wish. ?
Papa God Ma. Harris congratulations and counting welcome back to San Sauveur and not Mopo
How precious
What a lady, wish her many more years.
I am happy Susanna Williams has returned to the country of her birth. But plead with her relatives to turn off the radio and TV. You don’t want to subject her to all the politics that is on the airwaves in DA. Let her enjoy her last days in peace.
When I am in DA, I don’t listen to the radio or Dominica TV……too much politics. That takes away from my enjoyment.
And you listen to Trump?
What sense are you making? Politics is politics and the woman left the country 19 yrs ago. She knows about Dominica’s politics more then you do
The same for me. I do not like loud talking and music at home. When I am in D/ca, I do not listen to the radio and view TV, unless they are on. When I was a child and then an adult, I recall my father did not like the radio and TV. He, being a quiet man, thought they are too noisy.
I feel, at her age she may not be interested in listening to all that. She may like viewing TV, if only for the pictures or if it is an interesting program which captivates her. The elderly are not usually interested in them. She may want to talk to her family. You know, radio and TV could stand in the way of conversing.
blessed woman…. family should be honored to have a gem like her as family
God bless u and family
welcome home …;home is indeed where the heart is.
Wow! 102 years… I pray God that you grant her good health and strength to tarry on.