Loise Lambert, affectionately called “Grand Ma,” returns home to mark milestone more than a century in the making
More than a century after her story began in the quiet village of Fyrish on the Corentyne Coast, Loise Millicent Lambert came home on Wednesday to celebrate her 103rd birthday, surrounded by the five living generations she has spent a lifetime building.
Affectionately called “Grand Ma” by family and community alike, Lambert was neatly dressed for the occasion when this publication visited her at her daughter’s home in Fyrish, seated comfortably as relatives moved in and out to mark the milestone. Time has slowed her steps and softened her hearing, but not her presence. Even in quiet responses conveyed largely through her daughter Linda, there were unmistakable flashes of the spirit that has carried her through the decades — a smile, a nod, and a simple wish to dance and sing.
Born on April 22, 1923, in Fyrish Village, Lambert married at 19 and built her family while working in the sugar industry and taking on domestic jobs, including laundry and cooking for members of her community. She earned particular praise for her culinary skills, with pepperpot, sponge cake and rice porridge among her signature dishes. Her husband passed away in 1987.
She is the mother of 12 children, nine of whom are still living. Among them is former Guyana cricket fast bowler Linden Lambert, whom she gave birth to at the remarkable age of 46. Her family now includes 25 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, 19 great-great-grandchildren, and two great-great-great-grandchildren — placing her at the centre of five living generations, a rare and extraordinary milestone.
According to her daughter Linda, Lambert’s condition has remained relatively stable over the past year. She relies on a walker for support and requires assistance with certain daily activities, but has not suffered any major illnesses and continues to be monitored by an overseas-based physician. Her meals have been adjusted with age, now mostly puréed to aid digestion, though she continues to enjoy familiar local favourites such as okra, carilla, eggplant, rice and soup.
Even at 103, her love for life endures. She continues to attend church when she is able, and music still stirs something in her. Family members say she responds to songs with gentle movements, nods and attempts to sing along, holding on to the traditions and routines that have defined her across the decades.
After more than three decades living in the United States, Lambert returned to Guyana in 2021 and now resides with Linda at Nurney Village. Her return has allowed family members to gather more easily for milestones such as this one.
Linda Lambert described her mother as both a blessing and a companion, expressing gratitude that she has lived to see another year. She noted that the values Lambert instilled in her children — contentment, sacrifice, discipline and love — continue to resonate across every generation she has touched.
And now, at 103, as laughter and celebration fill the home around her, Grand Ma remains at the center of it all, still wanting, in her own words, to dance, to sing, and to be with the family she has never stopped building.
