Full hundred Centenarian Lena Cover feted by Excelsior, family on special day

As she was assisted into the conference room of the Excelsior High School last Friday, Lena Cover’s eyes lit up and her smile got broader as she recognised a few familiar faces.  

After scrutinising the place for several seconds, she stated “The place look good eeh?”  That was a welcoming remark for those inside the room as Cover, who celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday, was all about cleanliness during her tenure as an ancillary staff supervisor.   The centenarian was honoured by Excelsior High, not only for her birthday, but also for her years of dedication to the learning facility. 

"She was 80 years old when she left here and she was still stepping and talking with command. People move whenever she talked and she was like the 'one don'. Mr Cover worked her for close to 20 years and she was one that was full of grace and was a mother to a lot of staff and even the students. She was the go-to person," said the school's bursar Kisha Bailey. 

Cover was born in Richmond, St Mary, but relocated to St Catherine after her parents died. During her younger years she worked at the University Hospital of the West Indies. Her daughter Sharon Smith described the elderly woman as a go-getter and a dedicated parent. 

"My mother grew up all three of her children in church and she was a very dedicated parent. She taught us to be kind and she was not only a mother and grandmother to us, but to the entire community. She shared a lot and was always a giving person. She was the type who never went to look for anyone without bringing a gift, and most of all, she loves the Lord. She worked very hard and before coming to Excelsior. She was a [member of the] canteen staff, domestic worker and a receptionist," Smith said. 

In 1965, Cover got married but her husband passed away just 14 years later. Instead of remarrying, Cover has dedicated her life to providing a life for her three children. Carol Cover-Simpson, another of Cover's daughters, said her mother was filled with strength and endurance. 

"My mother is a strong woman because my father died suddenly. He was strong and hearty and just got a heart attack and she just dealt with it and never got remarried again. She would later lose two of her grandsons, and I remember when the last one died last September, she just boils some garlic tea saying she knew she was going to get news to send up her blood pressure. We are so grateful to God that she is still standing and she is really just a positive person," Cover-Simpson said. 

Excelsior High's bookroom operator Millicent Walker-Findley also described Cover as a woman of wisdom and resilience. 

"She would always give me advice that I carried through life. She was like a mother to me while she was here. She was a leader and we all looked up to her and not only those who she supervised, but the students and teachers as well. We are really grateful for her," she said. 

As the small gathering sang the words “She's a jolly good fellow”, the senior citizen rocked her head to the tune after which she was assisted with the cutting of her birthday cake.