Ursula Sobers is the toast of her Black Sage Alley, St. Lucy district, and there is a street named after her to prove it.
The affable semi-super centenarian proudly boasts that she is a celebrity in her own right. “I tell my daughter that me and Rihanna are celebrities. The two of us have roads named after us.”
Ursula is the cousin of the late Prime Minister the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, aunt of the late Dr. Rameses Caddle and great aunt of Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment, Marsha Caddle.
Educated at St. Clement’s Girls’ School, Urusla worked as a labourer at several plantations in St. Lucy, including Spring Hall, Lamberts, Pickering and Welch Town until retirement.
In her spare time, she sewed trendy clothes for her children and other relatives.
Ursula met and later married Beresford Sobers, who is now deceased. The couple had three children, one is deceased. She also had three children with her partner Ebenezer Sobers.
Altogether, Ursula has 13 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren
A devout worshiper at St. Clement’s Anglican Church, Ursula was a member of the Mother’s Union and sang alto in the Church’s choir.
With very little prompting from her daughter Mary Sobers, Ursula sang three verses of the popular Christmas Carol, While Shepherds Watched Their Flock By Night. She said she loves Christmas, especially the singing of traditional carols.
“I miss the singing of carols because at this time I would be busy with practice and preparing for midnight mass, but I am not able to go anywhere now.”
Mary recalled her mother’s devotion to church. She disclosed that her mother had two white church dresses and used her sewing skills every Saturday night to apply colouful lace to various parts of the dress to make the style look fresh each time. She said her mother loved her children dearly and was a good provider.