Mrs. Sadie Louise Anderson Stovell is not only a charming and gracious lady, and seemingly has been that way for all of her 100 years, she is above all a most remarkable woman, the matriarch of a prominent family of achievers.

A host of family and friends who nearly filled the auditorium of the Berkeley Institute for her 100th birthday celebation, had no hesitation in showing their admiration for Mrs. Stovell, and citing her as a shining example of what the "good life" is all about, certainly spiritually and physically. She recites her fvourite Bible text, Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths."

At this ripe old age, Mrs. Stovell can bend and touch her toes with ease! She insists on cooking, cleaning and washing clothes, gardening, lawn manicuring and shopping. And that of course occupies her time when she's not indulging her real hobbies which are knitting and crocheting.

Born on November 2, 1909 in the most patrician part of Bermuda, Salt Kettle, Paget, to Pilot James Crofton (Doc) Anderson and Julia Elizabeth Lightbourne Anderson, Sadie was educated at Cobb's Hill School and studied dressmaking with a retired teacher, Martha Astwood. In 1931, she became the wife of Edward Cyril Stovell.

The one daughter of her marriage was Gloria (Pat) White, who is deceased. She has four grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great- grands, who all adore her.

Mrs. Stovell's eldest grandson is Calvin White, CPA, a prominent civil servant and chairman of the Board of Governors of the Berkeley Institute who resides at Fisherman's Hill, Bailey's Bay. He attests unhesitatingly that a large part of his self-worth is attributable to the fact that Mrs. Stovell has consistently put the well-being of her family before her own needs, cheerfully providing for them from her meagre income.

Mr. White noted that it was only in the aftermath of Hurricane Fabian in September, 2003 that his grandmother, who had resolutely resisted the idea for several years of coming to live with his family, finally yielded. She was then 93 and he felt she deserved to enjoy in her senior years some small way relaxing and tasting the good life.

"That plan lasted almost three days when she amended it to something that resembled a 'live-in domestic'!

"She emphatically let us know she was not an invalid and that she expected to do her part. Despite all our protests and best effort to sabotage her plan, her determination or stubbornness won out and we gave in."