In the 1940s, a mother from Friswells Hill died suddenly, leaving a husband and ten children behind. Her second daughter then had to become both sibling and mother in order to raise those young children under one roof. This huge responsibility meant she had to sacrifice her own dream of going off to The Berkeley Institute and then university.

Big Nana

For decades, along with her loving husband, she nurtures and cares for her brothers and sisters from childhood, through their adolescent years and then into young adulthood. Over the years, she takes care of her elderly father, and raises a family of her own, alongside the children of her siblings. Essentially, she was mother, aunt and grandmother to all.

All under the very same roof on Friswells Hill.

As time progresses, family members eventually build their own roofs and leave the family homestead. She, too, moves her own family and one of her brother’s family from Friswells Hill back to their ancestral parish of Devonshire. Yet, no matter where they lay their heads, one place remained the family homestead.

Most importantly, no matter how many hundreds of additions to the family, via birth or marriage, she remained the matriarch of five to six generations. Whether at family gatherings or one-on-one conversation, she carefully and meticulously ingrained knowledge of who was kin and the importance of family history and values.

Quiet warrior

One of the most significant family values was laying the foundation of social and political progress for the people of Bermuda. For decades, some family members served up front, while most others worked quietly in the background.

Without a doubt, the most important tenet was serving the Lord as a faithful member of her church for more than 70 years. By extension, she was a matriarch of her church family. For her faithfulness, the Almighty rewarded her with 97 years of life and love with those to whom she gave her all.

As dawn broke on Valentine’s Day, she left her physical home to join her parents, older siblings and her husband.

Her story will be forever reflected, not on any piece of paper but in the untold amount of persons who were raised on her cooking, have roofs over their heads, were educated through her help, and became leaders of our island.

We, her family, are blessed to have shared her among ourselves and with others for the time that the Lord allowed. We are who we are because she gave her all to us.

We shall forever honour the name Millicent Famous-Brown.

• Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him on WhatsApp at 599-0901 or e-mail at carib_pro@yahoo.com