“You have to live a good life” to reach 100! Barbados’ newest centenarian Justica Walters gave this advice to family and friends, who gathered on January 24, 2025, to celebrate her special milestone.
Also present for the occasion was the President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.
Responding to a query from Her Excellency about what a good life is, Mrs. Walters said it means living “a Christian life”. She added: “I worked pretty hard…. Praise the Lord for the time…. He was very good to me.”
Her son, Robert Walters, shared that his mother, who outlived her five siblings, had it hard. He said: “The years growing up was pretty difficult…. The wages were low; my mother worked very hard during the early years.” He disclosed that his mother, in her earlier days of work, sold pot fish, walking from Maxwell to Edey Village, Christ Church, and back.
Robert also said his mother worked as a cook, and for long hours. “She worked as a cook in the hotel industry or sometimes for private homes or even some ambassadors back in the day. I know for sure there was times when mum would start working from the morning and wouldn’t come off not until 9 o’clock…the night,” he said.
He said her long hours as a cook at the homes where she worked were often as a result of the dinners running late into the night. Recalling those days, he said: “Folks are chatting while she wants to go home; chatting…because they are eating late…and having a good time with their cocktails, while mum wanted to finish off the dinner and clean the kitchen to get home to her family.”
Mr. Walters, noted that his mother, at age 98, was still writing her own grocery lists with perfect spelling, even though her educational opportunities were limited. “Mum was very adamant about education. She even mentioned to me that at one time…she was one of the top students but because of being poor she was not able to go to high school in those days,” he said.
One of the centenarian’s daughters, Paulette Walters-Beckles, who relocated to Barbados to care for her mother, thanked her mother for “working so hard for us and loving us all” and for insisting that the family attend church every Sunday.
Mrs. Walters-Beckles remarked: “I thank my mum for all she did for me and for all of us and for raising us up in the right way and for taking us to the Pilgrim Holiness Church in Maxwell Hill for so many years, and she is amazing…. Thank you, mum, for being my teacher and my friend.”
Another daughter, Betty Walters, also thanked the centenarian for encouraging her to pursue educational opportunities. She shared: “My mum and I lived a long time in Canada…. She is very blessed…. I want to thank her for her encouragement; she has been such an encouragement to me with my academics. She was always there for me when I was at Girls’ Foundation (now Christ Church Foundation School); she would show up and support me and she would help me with my exams and tests….”
Also paying tribute to his mother, Tyronne Walters thanked her for focusing on their educational pursuits and for instilling in them a desire to want to “know the Lord”.
“She would get those clothes out and iron them and have them all ready and we had to go to Sunday School, and we certainly appreciate that. She was always there for us,” he said.
Noting that his mother also set the example of taking care of “her health and her family’s health”, he shared that he and his siblings are “here for her”.
Growing up in Maxwell, Christ Church, Mrs. Walters attended the St. Lawrence Girls’ School, also in Christ Church. After leaving school, she sold pot fish, and eventually worked as a domestic at the Southern Palms Hotel in Christ Church, private homes, and the Grantley Adams International Airport.
After retirement, she enjoyed travelling and spending time with her children, dancing, and attending church services. She is in good health overall, and her favourite foods are soup, mutton, baked chicken, pot fish, and cou cou.
Grateful for Dame Sandra’s visit, Mrs. Walters remarked: “I want to thank you” to which Her Excellency replied: “I want to thank you for having me.” Mrs. Walters, a widower, was married to Albert Walters. She had six children (one deceased), seven grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
