Vincentian centenarian Emmeline Nash Barbour, affectionately known as “Aunty Lyn,” “Lyn,” “Mamalyn,” and “Taarlyn,” who lived in Jamaica, Queens with close relatives, died on March 31, 2025.
Her daughter, Jana Williams, told Caribbean Life on Friday, May 2, that Nash Barbour died “peacefully” at home surrounded by family and friends. She was 104 years, 10 months old, dying exactly two months before what would have been her 105th birthday.
Williams said her mother was not ailing before her demise.
A funeral was held on Friday, April 25, at Seaton Funeral and Cremation, 2200 Clarendon Rd., Brooklyn.
Williams said another service will be held on June 1 at the Eden Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spring Village, North Leeward, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where Nash Barbour was born. Her body will be interred at the Spring Village Cemetery, Williams said.
She said Nash Barbour, who migrated to New York in 1988, first lived in Uniondale, Long Island, with her son, Alaska Edwards, and his family, and attended Vision Pentecostal Church (VPC) in Brooklyn.
While attending VPC, Williams said her mother dedicated her life to Christ and was baptized in the summer of 1990.
“This decision transformed her into profound ways,” said Williams, stating that Nash Barbour’s “faith journey inspired others around her and uplifted others.
“Often, you would hear her praising and worshipping God, filled with the Holy Ghost, singing songs, such as ‘Hark the Sound of Holy Voices’, ‘It Is Well with My Soul’, and ‘I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say Come unto Me and Rest,’” she added.
Williams said her mother moved to Brooklyn in 1999 to live with her daughter, Rita, and her family, and two years later to Jamaica, Queens, to live with her (Jana Williams) and her family.
Williams said she was her mother’s caretaker “until up to her death.”
Though not formally educated, Williams said Nash Barbour “never gave up on learning.”
She said her mother used television shows, such as “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy”, to “familiarize herself with words and numbers.”
“’ Let’s Make a Deal’ was how she learnt the pricing of items and cost estimations,” Williams said, adding that Steve Harvey’s “’ Family Feud’ – one of her favorite TV shows – “taught her history about famous people.”
“’ Regis and Kelly’ was her favorite morning show,” Williams continued.
She said her mother “enjoyed good cooking and never ate a late meal.
“She must have her three meals per day on or before 6 p.m.,” Williams said.
She said her mother was also “a giver” and her spirit of giving extended “far beyond her family.”
“She was a pillar in the Spring Village community,” Williams said. “She was known for her generosity and kindness. She strongly embraced the principle of sharing with others.
“With a loving heart and an unwavering commitment to help others, she believed that giving food, or other gifts, had the power to connect people and help uplift their spirits,” she added. “Through her kindness, she taught her family the importance of giving back and the joy that comes from sharing.”
Williams said her mother “took immense pride in knowing that she could assist someone in her community.
“As she carefully narrated her wishes prior to her departure, she sternly advised her family to provide a repast and properly feed the resident community of her beloved Spring Village,” Williams said. “She said, ‘This will be the last time that I can share my love with them.’”
Nash Barbour, daughter of Enoch Morris and Delcina Nash, was born in Spring Village on May 31, 1920.
Williams said Nash Barbour “did not have the opportunity for formal education, as she was required to work to assist her family from a tender age.”
She said Nash Barbour worked in agricultural labor at the Belle Isle and Richmond Vale Estates in North Leeward, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines, for more than 50 years.
“This type of work was physically demanding, requiring long hours in hot and humid conditions,” Williams said.
While working on the estates, she said her mother met “the love of her life,” Thomas Ezekial Barbour, a native of Barrouallie in Central Leeward in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who predeceased her.
“From the moment their path crossed, there was a magical connection between them that developed over the years with every conversation and shared moment,” Williams said.
“As their bond deepened, they eventually decided to get married, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their lives,” she added.
As matriarch of her family, Williams said her mother provided “unwavering guidance, love, and nurturing to everyone around her.
“Her unmatched wisdom and strength created a foundation for her family, and her warm presence and loving nature provided cohesion for us,” she said, adding that her mother also “taught us important values, such as ‘always share’, ‘serve others’, and ‘treat others with love the way you would like to be treated.’”
Williams said John 3:16 was Nash Barbour’s favorite scripture: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In addition, Williams said her mother was “an illustrious storyteller, with an amazing memory.”
Right up to her passing, she said Nash Barbour was “cognitively alert and never missed a beat.
“During family gatherings, her grandchildren eagerly gathered around her, excited to embark on imaginative journeys to various places and periods,” said Williams, pointing out that her mother would “artfully describe stories of her childhood adventures, the challenges she faced in life, and the lessons she learned in life.
“Emmeline, our dearest Mamalyn, your lessons, your thoughts, and prayers over the years keep us together,” she added. “We will forever cherish the years you spent with us. Your memories and stories will forever live with us. We love and miss you; you will forever be in our hearts.
“Rest in sweet peace, our dear Emmeline,” Williams continued. “We love you.”
She said Nash Barbour gave birth to 11 children, three of whom died.
Her surviving children are Alaska Edwards, Alton Morris, Alrick Morris, Doreen “Mother” Morris, Jana Williams, Joseph Morris, Owen Morris, and Rita Nash-Franklyn.
Nash Barbour is also survived by several relatives and friends, including her granddaughter Curlina Edwards-Hills, Alaska’s daughter, and a Vincentian-born lawyer residing in Queens.
