Durban - A Glenmore family has longevity in their veins, with the granddaughter following in the footsteps of her gran by celebrating a century.
There were big birthday celebrations last week when Elizabeth Samuel turned a 100 years old.
The centenarian and mother of six said she could not believe that she turned 100 years this year.
According to the family, Samuel’s sister is 92-years-old and
their grandmother died at
104.
Samuel’s youngest daughter, Antoinette Jitsing, said she was grateful and blessed to see her mother reach 100.
“We have seen a pattern in our family where if someone lives above 50 years of age, they can live up to 80 to 100 years,” she said.
Elizabeth Samuel from Glenmore celebrated her 100th birthday and is still going strong. Picture: Zanele Zulu/African News Agency
Jitsing said she had always known her mother as a holy and loving person.
“From when we were little I’ve known mother as a loving and caring person. She always prayed for my siblings and I when we left for school,” she said.
Jitsing said her mother was a great cook and baker as they would often come back to freshly baked cakes from school.
When asked about what she remembered about her life, Samuel said she remembered dancing with her late husband at the City Hall and some events of World War II which took place around the 1940s.
“After my father, Peter Samuel, died in 1967 my mother tried very hard to close that void in our lives, so she would cook, laugh and play with us,” Jitsing said.
She said the secret to her mother reaching a hundred years would have to be Weetbix cereal because she eats them twice a day.
“My mother is not taking any medication and we ensure that her diet gives her all the nutrients her body needs.”