At 100, Ruby Mingo is in Love with Whatsapp and Facebook

Ruby Maria Mingo is living proof that age should never be a barring factor on self-advancement. Mingo is an avid WhatsApp and Facebook user and keeps up with the latest social media trends as she goes about her daily life.
Born November 8, 1919, Mingo celebrated her 100th birthday in fine style with a grandiose celebration at her Haslington North, East Coast Demerara home. She chose to celebrate her remarkable achievement with family and friends.
The high spirited senior citizen is a mother of 11 children, of which eight are alive. She explained that she outlived siblings and her family has a history of enlarged liver. She added that her now-dead sister also lived up to 100 years.
Kicking off the grand celebration, her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives, some of whom arrived from the United States and Canada, gathered at her Haslington home. On November 9, her life was celebrated accompanied by her family and friends at the Golden Grove Seventh-day Adventist Church on the East Coast of Demerara, where she worships.
Later that same afternoon, she was treated with to a gala dinner at the conical palm-thatched benab – Umana Yana. Meanwhile, the curtains of celebration were then brought down the following day with a monumental birthday night celebration at her residence.
Speaking with the Sunday Times Magazine, Mingo said that she feels okay for a 100-year-old. However, she is faced with some health issues such as arthritis, circulation of the blood and is unable to see in her left eye.
“That doesn’t stop me, I still exercise in the morning, I walk to the gate and come back…. Sometimes I read without the glasses…I can even thread a needle”, she said.
The centenarian highlighted that she enjoys knitting, fixing puzzles, reading her bible and doing crosswords to pass time. She even added that she can use social media sites such as Facebook and Whatsapp.
“ …yes that is how I talk to my grandchildren overseas, I was even just speaking to my grandson from overseas, he was telling me why he couldn’t come”.
Aunty Ruby, Ms Mingo or “Granny” as persons would normally call her, stated that she grew up in Gibraltar East Berbice. She moved around Guyana and only settled after she got married. Growing up, education played an integral role in her life. Like any child, Mingo remembers spending hours engrossed in games of hopscotch with her friends.
Mingo related that she could not remember her father and does not know what he looks like. However, she was told that he died by drowning when she was still a toddler. Moreover, she said her father’s death did not affect her and her siblings’ punctuality at school. She said her mother ensured that they were always on time for school.
“One thing my mother thought us was to pray she would always make us pray and she always made us read a Psalm from the bible before going to bed…because of that I read all of the Psalms and I know all of them. My mother even taught us to [be] respectful to everyone, we had to address everybody by Brother or Mister or Miss”, she said.
Meanwhile, she added that of her elder brothers, Cecil and Harold, were forced to leave school early to help support her mother. She said she wanted to attend the Carnegie School of Home Economics, but her family could not afford it.
At 18 years old, Mingo related that she relocated to Springlands where she lived with her aunt and husband. During that time she was able to get a job in New Amsterdam as domestic help with a Caucasian family.
At the age of 24, she got married to her husband, Wilbert Mingo, and they lived as man and wife for almost 49 years. She related that her husband was a man of integrity and invested in his children’s education. At one point, Mingo remembered being diagnosed with breast cancer but she refused to accept that fate. She explained that she spent six weeks in the hospital and even in her sick state she would visit other patients.
“My son Royston use to say why when I come I don’t see you at your bed. I would get up and go to each bed and pray for that other person on the next bed.”
Furthermore, she added that she is a Canadian citizen, but re-migrated in 2014 because she loves her country. She added that her wish is, when the time comes, to die in her home country.
When asked about her support system, Mingo said her family is her biggest supporter. She added that apart from family, people in the community, neighbours, and her church members would always visit or call her to know how she is faring.
When asked what her secret to living this long is, Mingo stated “God, prayer, and support. There is also a hymn that encourages me, the name is Trusting Lord Jesus, Trusting in only thee. None of us isn’t perfect, we all make mistakes”.
With her memory intact, Mingo lives alone and can do all her chores on her own. However, family members and helpers would take turns in assisting daily.