BIOGRAPHY OF DONALD  ERNEST LINDO

Born in 1928 in Vineyard Pen, St. Andrew, Jamaica, Donald Ernest Aubrey Lindo first attended a Kindergarten school in Spalding, Clarendon run by Miss Nash.. He was the second son of Arthur and Carmen Lindo.  The family  moved from Vineyard Pen to Spalding where his father, who was a Solicitor,  established his law practice. Later Donald and his brother were sent to school at Tan-Y-Bryn in Walderson, run by the Rev. and Mrs. William Baillie.  In 1935 the family returned to Kingston and Donald was sent to school at Miss Berry’s Preparatory School on Duke Street.  His mother was then working with her uncle and Aunt at their hotel, Melrose House at 117 Duke Street in Kingston. 

In 1937 his parents purchased a home on Cargill Avenue, Halfway Tree. Donald first attended Suthermere Preparatory School in Halfway Tree and later Westbrook, run by Miss Winifred Butler.  For a while he also received private tuition from Henry Fowler who later founded the Priory School on Hope Road. He then attended Calabar High School (also known as Calabar College) which was at that time located on Slipe Pen Road. He remained there until the age of seventeen.

In 1941 his parents were divorced and his mother expanded the premises by adding two separate buildings which then became Green Gables Hotel with seventeen bedrooms. During the summer holidays of 1945 Donald was offered a temporary position at The Jamaica Mutual Life Assurance Society at 79-83 Barry Street in Kingston.  Little did he know that he would remain there for the next 33 years  to 1978 when at the age of fifty he went on early retirement.  While at Jamaica Mutual Life he pursued several courses including Psychology and Economics at the Extra Mural Department of the University of the West Indies.  He also completed a course in Business Administration at the College of Arts, Science and Technology (now UTECH).

His first job at Jamaica Mutual Life was that of a Junior Clerk. During his employment he was promoted to other positions including that of  Cashier, Supervisor of the New Business and Mortgage Departments, Principal Clerk, Mortgage Manager, Office Manager, Company Secretary, Assistant Manager and Assistant General Manager.

He also developed a keen interest in the tourist industry and often managed the Green Gables when his mother was away in the U. S. A. He built two beach cottages and another at Flamstead in the Port Royal Mountains overlooking Kingston. These he would rent from time to time to visitors to the island and also to local clientele.

From his teens, Donald has had several hobbies and interests.  These included stamp and coin collecting, photography and, in the 1960s, he became very interested in tracing his personal ancestry, mainly because of a legend in the family that suggested that his great-great grandfather, George Fraser, was the illegitimate son of William IV of England. His mother had told him that even her schoolmates at Hampton in Malvern said that they knew of this Royal connection.  In 1960 Donald found George Fraser’s grave on the Watermount Estate in St. Catherine, along with those of his children.  To this day there has been no positive proof of the connection to Royalty but there are many indications that it could have been through William IV who had 10 children by his mistress Dorothea Jordan.

In doing research on his own family, Donald found several family connections to persons that he had known over the years but did not realize that he was related to them. He then decided to expand his research to other Jamaican families, and since 1998 he has issued six editions, first on CD and later on DVD both in Genealogy as well as Pictorials of Jamaica.  The Genealogy discs entitled  Genealogy of Jamaica have been marketed over the internet as “An Aid to Research on Jamaican Families” with his last DVD containing over 80,000 persons with connections to more than 30,000 Jamaican families.  His Jamaican genealogy data now contains numerous pictures with a total of over 7,000  images of persons,  birth, marriage and death certificates as well as many biographical notes. 

Although the data can be imported into other genealogical programs, he has found Brother’s Keeper very suitable in displaying his research and pictures.  There is a free version of this program at www.bkwin.org that can easily be downloaded to any PC.  The registered version will have more features.  It will not work on a MAC.

This data and all images are now being shared online so that it can assist others wishing to delve into their own ancestry.

I received a call from Uncle Don on Nov. 24 saying he was in hospital.  I told him that I would try to come down to see him, and he said, “it would be nice to see you.”  I knew at that moment, he was truly not well, as he usually does not want anyone to fuss over him.  He is much more the “fusser” than the “fussee.”  He spent 10 days in hospital, under the care of a wonderful pulmonologist, Dr. Terry Baker, who was extremely thorough, compassionate, and caring.  It was truly a blessing to have her oversee his care.  He desired to go home, so I arranged the loan of portable oxygen tanks, as the medical supply company was not open on weekends.  He came home on Sunday afternoon, 3 December, and was so happy to see Kitty again (and she was equally happy to see him!)  He spent the night on the couch (even though he complained – well, not really, since I don’t think I’ve ever heard him complain – that he cannot get comfortable on a narrow bed), as the oxygen tubing would not reach up the stairs. 

The following day, Monday, Paul took me to fill his prescriptions, obtain the oxygen concentrator, and collect some groceries.  His appetite was poor all day.  I asked him what he wanted for dinner that night, and he asked for fish sticks and mashed potatoes (and told me how he liked them made – asking me to melt the butter and add it to the mashed potatoes).  I prepared the meal and he took a few bites and said, “these potatoes are really delicious, but I can’t eat them.”  Then he said, “I know I haven’t eaten much all day, and I know I need to eat.  Please bring me a Supligen.” I did, and he drank the entire can. 

He then said he hadn’t had a sponge bath in two days, and asked for one.  I asked if he wanted to wait until tomorrow (Tuesday) since Verona would be there and we could actually bathe him in the shower.  He shook his head and contently said, “No.”  I bathed him and washed his hair, and he felt much better.  I asked him if he wanted to go upstairs to his own bed tonight since we had enough oxygen tubing to reach and again, he shook his head contently, and said, “No.”  I said, “But you said you couldn’t get comfortable in a narrow bed.”  He again shook his head very contently and said, “It’ll be okay.”  All throughout the days Sunday and Monday, he kept saying, “I just can’t understand how this is happening so quickly,” and it was…

That night, he was very restless, but in no pain.  I sat with him and talked with him on and off – he likes his quiet time…  I asked him if he was having any pain, and he always said no.  I sat right beside him until about 3:00 am.  I told him it was okay to go if he needed to, that I would make sure Kitty was taken care of, and he nodded his head…  I asked him if he wanted me to stay right beside him and there was no response.  I told him I would move to the chair adjacent to the couch, and he nodded in agreement.  I moved to the chair and watched him until about 4:00 am, when I must have dozed off to sleep.  I was awakened at 5:30 am by Kitty, who rubbed up against my arm with loud meows until I awoke and petted her (this is a big deal because Kitty does not go to anyone!)  When I looked over at Uncle Don, I noticed that he had passed away peacefully. 

Knowing him and how organized he has always been, it is as though he himself orchestrated his peaceful passing.  I am very sad that he is gone; however, I am grateful to know firsthand that he absolutely did not suffer, nor was he ever in any pain.  He was always the caregiver, and would not have done well with being cared for long-term. 

Rest in peace, Uncle Don (yes, I’m still going to call you Uncle Don, even though you asked me to call you Donald ☺).