Advocate for senior citizens dies

One of the women who has been recognised at least four times for more than three decades’ of work via community outreach programmes, has died.
Cornelia Michael, 74, died at her home last week after a prolonged illness.
Mario Michael told OBSERVER media that his mother’s health had declined soon after she suffered a stroke three years ago.
“The stroke affected her short-term memory and basically her physical state steadily declined and eventually she stopped eating – it was a battle to get her to eat and on the morning of January 3, when I was putting her to bed was when she actually expired,” Mario said.
He said the matriarch, who was tasked with caring for her husband who was blind, always said she wanted to be with her husband at the very end, and she got her wish.
“I was on one side, my brother on the other side, my son was there and she was at home with her husband. Myself and my brother [Howard] watched her take her last breath and up to now I still can’t believe she is gone,” he added.
Though she was retired, Cornelia worked closely with Community Development Committee and was particularly fond of the work being done with the centenarians programme.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)