JOANIE PRECIOUS BLACKWOOD

Family was always the most important thing to Precious. I have fond memories of playing house with Precious and our other siblings. Of course Precious was the head of the family, playing the role of Grandma. A role she played only too well! So much so, that our other siblings and I feared she would remain a grandma forever.

Precious was a foodie and always had entrepreneurial pursuits, which lead to the opening of her first business with her life partner, a restaurant on Slipe Road in Kingston. I can still see Precious coming home after a long day at the restaurant to find us all seated at the table having dinner, and best believe, we all had to grab our plates and take cover because Precious was coming for our meals.

As time progressed, Precious and Delly transitioned from restaurant owners to grocery shop owners, the first of which was located on Windward Road. Precious was an astute business woman, who went on to own and operate many other grocery shops, such as her Brown's Town shop and Molynes Road Meat & Grocery shop, culminating with her current and most successful business venture, a grocery shop located in Pennants, Clarendon.

While on the quest for entrepreneurial success, Precious never lost sight of the importance of family. She was undoubtedly her children's rock, support system and problem solver. This tower of strength extended to her siblings. We could always turn to Precious for a listening ear and advise when we had our problems. Her words "life is a mystery" and "God is in control" will always resonate with us, remind us and guide us as Precious did.

Precious had a gentle and generous soul. Though the proceeds from her shops were her livelihood, no one who came to her shops left empty handed, whether they had cash or not. On hearing about another person's misfortune Precious would immediately break down in tears and made it her duty to find a solution to their problems. She improved the lives of so many, whether by providing lunch money for kids, money for books and school supplies, travelling expenses, or assisting with household expenses.

My sister was the queen of impromptu visits. She made it her duty to maintain a physical presence at the homes of all her family members. When you least expect it, Precious and Delly would show up. Being the foodie she was, on opening the front door, we were greeted with her infectious laughter followed by the question: "Wah yuh cook Petal?" Unlike my siblings and who would hide our plates as children, my kids knew to simply hand over the forks to their Aunty Precious.

Precious was the type of mother who always desired to have her children close. So much so, that after acquiring their first home in Nannyville, St. Andrew, they decided to sell and acquire a bigger property that could comfortably house every member of her immediate family. This saw the birth of the present family home in Pennants, Clarendon. A home built from scratch. Built on the premise of family values, with each and every member of the family contributing to its

success.

My sister's life was not without its fare share of trials and sadness. It is known that the natural course of life is for children to outlive their parents. Unfortunately, this was not Precious's reality. On July 03, 1997 my sister's world was turned upside down by the passing of her forth born and only daughter, Karen. Then again on April 03, 2000, she suffered the loss of her third born child, Kevin. Both tragic events took a toll on Precious and our family, but being the resilient woman she was, who trusted in God and knew that he is the Master of all things, she rose above the tragedy and heartache.

Precious took pride in her accomplishments, as she rightly should, given all her hard work and efforts. She had a certain standard for tidiness and cleanliness. A messy environment weighed heavily on my sister. She would never argue or make a fuss over such a disapproving environment, but anyone who knew my sister will tell you that, on seeing this, she would just sigh and proceed to tidy up. Precious was a songbird who expressed herself a lot through songs.

While cleaning you would hear her bellowing the words to songs such as "Jesus take the wheel"

A song which gave her strength and reaffirmed her believe that God is in control.

Even before giving her life to Christ, my sister was a God-fearing and Godly woman. She was baptized in the year 1996 and became a member of the pennants Seventh Day Adventist Church. She unceasingly spoke of the need to live according to God's words, and she always emphasized the importance of family togetherness. We had a lot of talks about a family reunion. Even shortly before her surgery on July 05, 2023, we had these talks. Precious came out of a problematic surgery sounding lively, upbeat and thankful. Our family was hopeful and prayed for her full recovery, which sadly, did not materialize. Precious' untimely passing was on July 12, 2023.

She leaves behind a legacy that we know her husband of forty three (43) years, her three (3) remaining children, her eight (8) grandchildren, two (2) great-grandchildren and all members of her family will aspire uphold and make Precious proud.

Sleep well my sister. May the Lord's perpetual light shine on you In your favorite words: "God is in control."