Hyacinth was many things to all of us. Mother, wife, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend. In every aspect of all that she was, she was unique; she was exceptional. 

Hya possessed grace, dignity, and caring, which was the envy of many. Like her late mother, she earned our love and respect without ever assuming she was entitled to it. Simply stated, she was a woman of faith and character, believing with all her heart in what they called "helping out" or doing for others. 

Those of us who knew Aunt Hya understood that her life was premised on the belief that what mattered was not what one got out of life but instead what one contributes. It seemed that she always sought to serve others--family, friends, and strangers even. She was kind, finding it almost impossible not to support those in need. She was grounded in her Christian belief that “helping others” was, in the end, the fastest and surest means of making one's own life one of contentment. 

Family meant the world to grandma. She developed a sense of peace with God, understanding that peace would not offer any guarantees from pain and suffering. The Methodist church and its teachings were at the core of how she lived her life. She knew every Charles Wesley hymn humming them effortlessly.  Her life was guided by a sort of Methodist wisdom that translated into a knowledge and love of Wesley, his life, and his music. In her earlier days as a Sunday school teacher at the Methodist Church in Spanish Town, she emphasized more than anything his music and believed the lyrics were the heart of good Christian fellowship.

I would be remiss if I did not quote John Wesley in how you lived your life mom, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

We love you.