Ruthen Adecker Foster, who celebrated his birthday on January 23, 2025, had one of his life-long wishes granted, to reach the age of 100.
He also got his second wish – to be visited by the Governor General, now President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.
When asked by Her Excellency “how are you today?”, Mr. Foster remarked: “I am just here abiding with the Lord…. I am feeling fine for now…. It is wonderful that I can live to reach this year…. Everybody can’t get there…. The Lord has brought me through.”
The centenarian also noted that reaching the age of 100 is a “privilege and it is a lot of work to get there”. He attributed his longevity to God and those who have been helping to take care of him through the years. “I thank those that care for me, along with the Lord…. Every person cannot get there…” he said.
His eldest son, Richard Foster, in paying a tribute to him, said: “Dad was a very hardworking person. All the years that I was alive I saw him, with my mother, support about seven of us. He has nine children in all.”
He added: “I am giving thanks today to be alive to see him reach 100 years. He always use to tell us he is going to live to see the Governor General come and visit him, so we made sure that that happened today. I am sure that my father is doubly blessed.”
One of his nieces and ‘adopted daughters’, Betty Deane, commented: “He raised me from a little girl, till about 18, and he was always good to me. This is a milestone in our family…. I am happy to see that he reached this age. He always said he wanted to get to this age and I thank God and I wish that everything will play out good and he will continue to enjoy life and be happy as long as he may live.”
One of the centenarian’s granddaughters, Nicole Walcott, shared that her grandfather was “a very integral” part of her upbringing, recalling the days when he would put her “on his bicycle and he would ride me from Forde’s Road, where we lived, all the way to The Pine to Wilkie Cumberbatch School.”
Describing her grandfather as firm, yet “very loving” and “very caring”, Ms. Walcott noted that he showed her how to live a Christian life, and along with her grandmother, instilled “the Christian values she has” today.
“First of all, the fact that I am a Christian and I love the Lord is 100 per cent because of my grandfather and my grandmother. When I was born, they made sure that I was in church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday for Bible Study, and Friday for Youth Service. They didn’t just say go; they were there,” she said.
Ms. Walcott added: “They didn’t just tell us, they showed us how to live. He showed us how it was to live a Christian life and to be a wonderful father, to be present and not just be there in the house but to be present for his children and that has stuck with me over the years.”
In paying tribute to her father, Mary Layne said: “Growing up with my dad was very good…. Daddy used to fish, and on Sundays…when daddy was going down by the fish market, I was the first child to wake up on mornings and I used to enjoy going down Dalkeith Hill on daddy’s carrier bike, and the cold wind at 5 o’ clock blowing in my face. We go down to the fish market; daddy does his fishing, collects his fish, then we come back up.”
Ms. Layne noted that her father, a life-long member of the Church of Nazarene, Collymore Rock, St. Michael, helped to build the current structure, after the former wooden building in Collymore Rock was destroyed in a fire.
“He put the bricks together; he wasn’t a mason, but he was there working too. He was hardworking, and he was dedicated and most of all he was loving and so supportive,” she said.
Mr. Foster was initially raised in the City of Bridgetown and attended St. Mary’s Primary School. He moved to The Pine, St. Michael, and then to Forde’s Road, St. Michael, where he built the family home.
A fisherman by trade, Mr. Foster pursued other careers throughout his life, including merchandising, and clerical work. He also worked in the development of the Bridgetown Deepwater Harbour.
The centenarian, a widower, helped to raise nine children, seven from his marriage to Jean Foster, and two whom they adopted as their own. He has 21 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. He is cared for by his daughter Mary Layne, who has been doing so since he contracted COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic.
Mr. Foster, who is vision impaired, spends most of this time relaxing, praising God, and expressing gratitude for the care and support of his family, which he attributes to helping him to live a long life. His favourite foods are cou cou and fish and he has a special liking for fish cakes and fried chicken.
Prior to her departure, Dame Sandra remarked to Mr. Foster, “So you got your wish”, to which he replied: “Amen, thank you. It is wonderful. It is wonderful when you got someone to come look for you…. Everybody can’t reach that number; you call that a victory number.”
Her Excellency also remarked: “Meeting centenarians, especially the ones who know that they are going to make it to 100, is my special pleasure and what makes it even more special is that it is a male, because quite frequently it is a female….
“I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of this, especially since it was something that he wanted – to live to 100 and to have the Governor General visit him. So, I am glad Mr. Foster, that I was able to give you two of your wishes on this, your special day…. May God continue to bless you.”
