Another outstanding Bermudian lady whose colourful life exceeded 100 years was laid to her final rest this week.

It was only on January 29 of this year we highlighted the celebrations for Mrs. Christabell Lavina Cann on the occasion of having reached her century. Her end came rather suddenly on June 4, in King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where her niece, Mrs. Ellen Kate Horton had admitted her a day before.

She was in full possession of her faculties, said Ellen Kate (the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Sports).

Many of the characteristics of the brilliant, sharp and witty woman she was, with a quick tongue and snappy sense of humour, were brought to the fore when hundreds attended her funeral Thursday at St. James Church, Somerset. The service was conducted by Ven. Arnold Hollis, with the Rev. Fred Hassell, Director of Bermuda Senior Islanders, giving the eulogy

Christy was the eldest daughter and second of seven children born to James Horton and his wife Josephine Bailey Horton. Their home was the little wooden cottage which still stands today, on the right hand side of the entrance to the Cambridge Beaches Resort. It is one of the last relics at Kings Point, as the area was then known, a significant area in Bermuda's history.

That episode was given pertinence during the recent state visit to Bermuda of the Prime Minister Douglas of St. Kitt's and Nevis. At that time he cited how waves of Kittians and Nevisians as well as migrants from Saba and St. Eustatius who came to Bermuda to work in the modernisation of the Dockyard in the early 1900s; and also how descendants of those migrants had so greatly contributed to the continuing advancement of both Bermuda and St. Kitts.

Christy's mother Josephine was one of those Kittian migrants, and the man she later married, James, was one of the "Sabies" as they were called.

They inspired their children to be highly ambitious and industrious and to have a healthy indulgence on sports. The family grew to be keen business people. In sports they were flamboyant competitors, Christy included. And above all they were industrious skilled mechanics, ambitious, becoming household names as they impacted locally and internationally in their respective niches.

Eldest son James (Jimmy) became one of the country's leading building contractors as well as the perennial national billiards champion; Kenneth Ray, also a master carpenter; David "Cat", a plumber, both being Somerset CC Cup Match stars.

Only two of Christy's siblings survive. They are Geraldine, now 98, and Barbara, now 83. Barbara was a prodigious dancer and singer on the local entertainment circuit before she married and migrated to Ohio. She is now retired after teaching many years at Central State University. Barbara came home to participate in her sister's funeral.

On July 9, 1934, at St. James' Church, Christy became the wife of Henry (Phoenix) Withrow Cann, Jr., in a union that produced nine children. They were She was the loving mother of Joan Scott (the late Cornelius), Frances Stearns (Joseph), David (Bertha) and Braxton (Bracky) and the late Adelia (Dia), Rosemarie Foss (the late Brian), Albert 'Ace' (the late Winifred), Willis (Brenda) and Daniel 'Danny' (Beverly).

After raising her family, Christy was able to indulge more fully her passion for sports, cricket being foremost and football a close second. Friends loved to hear her vivid recollections of the early days of Cup Match when, dressed in her finery, she would travel by horse and buggy from Somerset to St. George's, with a 5 a.m. departure time, to attend the match. A staunch Somerset Cricket Club fan, some argued that her blood ran red and blue! She passionately supported her brothers Ray and David and later her nephew, the Hon. K. H. Randolph Horton, JP, MP, as they inflicted damage on St. George's in the Annual Classic. In football Christy in the earlier years was undoubtedly a supporter of West End Rovers. But all of that changed when her son Willis joined Devonshire Colts. She, like her granddaughter Judy, became unwavering Devonshire Colts fans. She attended every game to support Willis, a Devonshire Colts hero.

A fervent woman of God and a devout Anglican, Christy attended St. James' Church when she lived in Somerset. In later years when changing her residence to Southampton, served in St. Anne's Parish Church and upon moving to Lorraine Rest Home in Warwick a few years ago, she worshipped at St. Mary's Church.

She was an avid traveller, across the US, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. In 2004, at the ripe old age of 94 she travelled to Austin, Texas her with niece Ellen-Kate and climbed Mount Bonnell. Her last trip abroad was in 2009, six weeks before her 100th birthday when she flew to Southern California with her great granddaughter Shawnta to surprise daughter Frances upon the occasion of a very special birthday.

Also, Christy was an extremely active participant in many seniors' social groups. She was a member of the Key Women Club, a "Special" at the Cathedral, Shady Rest Home the Young at Heart, the Fifty Plus Club and the Admiralty House Group where she attended social events until her last weeks of life.

Her obituary was read by her granddaughter N. Koshea Scott-Miller, a barrister. She described Christy as "a marvel, a stalwart, a fountain of history". She is survived by 50 great grandchildren; 13 great-great grandchildren and two great-great-great grandchildren, Christabell (Christy) Lavina Cann had a total of 111 direct descendants, with 100 living at the time of her death.