Leanora Virtue looks forward to her 90th Birthday with reflection on the Grace of God

BY PAUL JUNOR

In so many ways Leanora Virtue has lived a rich life filled with many experiences of: joy, love, and grace filled with positive family memories that have kept her all these years.

She was born in Wait-A-Bit in the parish of Trelawny, Jamaica, in 1932. The parishes of St-Ann in the east, St. James in the west, and St. Elizabeth and Manchester in the south border Trelawny. It is a quaint little community, which is located in the upper region of Trelawny and is known for its yams.

I interviewed Leanora on Monday, October 17^th, 2022 and she shared with me details about her early years in Jamaica before she migrated to Canada in 1981. She spent her early years with her grandfather, Joseph Linton who was a major influence on her spiritual and personal life up to the age of fourteen years old. As a minister, he led a very disciplined religious life that had a significant impact on her religious sensitivity and awareness. She told me that he would often repeat the lines, “When the saints are marching in, let me not search heaven for my granddaughter, for she will be there.”

Leanora got married at the age of seventeen years old to Roy Virtue, known as Mass Roy. She recalled that when Roy asked her to be his girlfriend, her grandfather asked him, “What comes after being your girlfriend?” She subsequently moved to Walderston, Manchester where she started her family. She had eight children: Gloria, Vadsie, Patricia, Hugh, Fitzroy, Roy Jr, David and Colineth.

She made the decision to move to Canada in 1981 after one of her daughters who was studying there invited her for a visit. Her husband joined her a few years later as he was working with Alpart Bauxite Company in St. Catharines and was waiting until he retired.

Leanora worked at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto and moved to Malton after buying a home.

After her retirement (1999), she moved back to Jamaica. Unfortunately, her husband suffered a stroke while in Jamaica and she was advised by his doctor to move back to Canada to obtain better medical treatment. She told me that he lived for eleven and a half years afterwards before his untimely death on October 15^th, 2015, at the age of ninety years old after sixty-five years of marriage.

Leanora takes her spiritual life very seriously. She told me that she became a Christian in 1952 in Jamaica and has been part of Church communities in Jamaica and Canada. She spends most of her Sundays at New Life Covenant Centre, pastored by Bishop Canute Blake and Praise Cathedral, pastored by Bishop Walker. She described herself as a prayer warrior, who believes in the miraculous power of prayer. She says, “I pray for people. Prayer is the key to my life. There is always a prayer in my life.” She mentioned that she prays all the time, even during her sleep. She takes seriously the Scripture in James which states, “Pray without ceasing.” Prayer is her daily lifestyle.

Leanora’s strong faith and love have sustained her through many losses that she has experienced in her family. She lost two of her children, a daughter died five years ago and her son, Fitzroy passed away suddenly on March 30^th, 2011, leaving two children, Patrick and Dawn and wife, Cheryl. The memorial service was held on April 16^th, 2011, at Malton Baptist Church. As a tribute to him, she wrote, “You left too soon son. I missed your hugs, your laughter, your phone calls. You left me empty because you left too soon.”

Leanora looks forward with great expectation and anticipation towards her 90th birthday on Thursday, October 27^th. She is truly blessed to share the time with her twenty-three grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren as well as her many nieces, nephews and relatives in England, Canada, Jamaica and the United States.