Contact Staff
She is Aunty Carmen to dozens of individuals across Canada, the United States and Trinidad and Tobago.
Many of them gathered at the Caribbean Paradise Restaurant on Saturday, July 18, to be with Carmen Agatha Defreitas as she celebrated her 100th birthday.
And the unanimous consensus among those gathered there was that Aunty Carmen is a treasure not only to her family but also to the community.
Most evident during the evening’s celebrations were her attitude and energy.
According to one who paid tribute to her: “Aunty tell me she loves volunteering. I asked her what kind of volunteering she said she helps to feed old people.”
It never dawned on Aunty Ca
rmen that she is older than everyone she is serving meals to.
As for her energy, those around her say that she loves shopping and does so at least once a week.
She also loves to dance and spent long periods during her party on the dance floor “dingolaying” to calypso music, putting many at the party to shame with her moves.
Aunty Carmen Defrietas was born in Port of Spain on July 15, 1915, but she spent most of her life in La Brea, in south Trinidad.
She moved to Montreal in 1964 and worked for 18 years as a nursing assistant at the Montreal General Hospital.
Among family, Aunty Carmen’s talent as a cook, a seamstress and a host at special events at her home, wee well known.
For this golden occasion, she received a congratulatory letter from Quebec’s minister of Family, and was surrounded by her brother, acclaimed educator Errol Clement and her well-known nephew Billie Samuels.
Many of her nephews, nieces, their children and grandchildren were also sharing the moment.
Montreal Community CONTACT joins the community and all of Quebec, Canada and Trinidad and Tobago in congratulating Aunty Carmen Defrietas on her golden celebration.
