Mangaluru: City’s 107 year old Ivy Mathias passes away
Mangalore Today News Network
Mangaluru, June 23, 2022: The City’s 107 year old great grand spinster lady teacher - Ivy Mary Mathias of Falnir, in the heart of old Mangaluru passed away on June 22 as quietly as she lived a heroic life.
Born on December 9, 1915, now in her 107th year, this great personality, had said "My love for a long long time now are my roots here in Kodial, nature and coastal folk of the region are changed a lot since my time, but still have the original affection and care, my one deep feeling whenever I was far away to teach and enlighten children, was to return to the land of my forefathers. Now I am always happy that God has gifted me to live here well all these many years" - today we see she has departed for her eternal abode in that paradise she hoped and belived in life long.
Sometime in the 1987 Lady Ivy moved to her present flat in MCPL Complex Falnir. She was more than fortunate that though she has no one of her own generation around, a caring family Marceline, Leena, Meera and Manoj, adopted her as a mother and grandmother and whom she has also stood by in their lives.
Family Roots : The well known genealogist of Mangalore Dr. Michael Lobo’s publications indicate the history and origins of Ivy and her folk; hailing from a Konkani Catholic Mathias-Prabhu clan who have lived in the heart of Mangalore; Antony John Mathias, was born in the 1770s, he was the earliest identified member of this ’Mathias Prabhu’ family of Belman. The first church of Belman was built by this Mathias family; it is stated. The grandfather of dear Ivy Mary Mathias was Antony Mathew (A M) Mathias (1848-1940) was in the service of the Govt., a ‘Taluk Head Accountant.’ Later he owned a coffee estate and held many ‘honorary’ positions and died at the ripe age of 92 yrs in 1940, rare longetivity at that point in time. Eusebius Piedade Mathias (1882-1948) was the father of Ivy Mary Mathias and her mother Julia Mascarenhas of Bendur, married at Rosario Cathedral in 1909. Ivy was the last of 7 children of whom three survived to be adults - they owned a house beside the present Balmatta New Road, then called ’Nirmala Vihar’.
Teaching has been Ivy’s love, she first taught in Nagpur at ‘Providence’, it was necessity that made people leave Managalore to make a life. With her mind on uplifting the needy, marriage was always on the back burner and she remained a spinster. She recalled the early days some time ago, then she did a long spell of teaching senior classes at popular Loretto School, in Calcutta now Kolkota; Ivy lived on Middleton Road Calcutta. Ivy also did a spell in Karachi before Independence in 1947 which was then part of British India. Her relatives Gladys D’Souza nee’ Currie, who lived in Calcutta and well travelled, passed away in June 2019, here in Mangaluru aged 101 yrs. Ivy never ever lost count of Mangalore and it’s ’progress’, through many of her relatives, in particular a spinster cousin of hers Ivy Currie, who also passed away in August 2016, aged 98 yrs. had lived for some time with Ivy. This is a known family with longevity printed in their genes or DNA it seems.
Ivy’s link with St. Agnes institution : Dear Ivy, probably, was the only surviving old student of St Agnes from that generation reaching this landmark. While St. Agnes, the first Catholic women’s college in South India and second in the country is entered its centenary in 2021, alumnus Ivy Mary Mathias of Falnir in Mangaluru was 105 years landmark in her life. Born before St Agnes College was established in 1921, she very joyfully recalled her primary schooling at St.Mary’s (Margil) that functioned under the Milagres church in those days. Then she went on like most girls of her time to the famous and first women’s college in South India, St Agnes at Bendur where she graduated with a degree in Arts and later was trained as a teacher at St.Ann’s which is today a great old education hub, near Rosario Cathedral.
Her life and habits : " Centenarian Ivy is truly a pleasant, easy person she was made to live long .she became weaker in the last one year......understandably, but Corona has not been anywhere near her", quipped a senior lady Mrs Tilly Peris, who has known her for a long. Devotion to her beliefs is paramount, she always prayed earnestly and wished for everyone to be happy and successful, she got stressed if she saw injustice and unkindness. Reading, gardening, art work, embroidery were her forte and she was always very neat and tidy. For health she regularly ate fresh peeled garlic and regularly took local ‘herbal bitters’ called ‘Keeraithe Kaddi’, which grew in her own garden.
It’s amazing to hear about her health and food; it cancels all the advanced scientific opinions seen these days on the subject.....brace yourselves for shock! The accepted theory is vegetables are the best for a healthy and long life – but dear Ivy detested vegetables and hardly ate any. Her favorites were all kinds of sea foods, fish, meats, sweets, chocolates and to top it all Ice Cream. Junk food is high on her ‘like list.’ Bananas are her first love among fruits, her food intake was good and she had just normal food like most people. She is very fond of the old genre country and western pop music...like Jim Reeves, Cliff Richard, Elvis Presly and such apart from old Konkani songs. One can see the LP records, kept safely in the showcase, unfortunately the player had succumbed to age! She keenly watched TV - music, soaps and news with good attention and absorption. Her favourites are also religious channels; she is very fond of watching religious ceremonies especially in Mangalore and Vatican. Corona Pandemic has had little impact as for a while she is in a safe capsule and attended to by her caregivers only. Ivy is never counted as an old foggy or invalid by any measure and at 107 was a pleasant person to meet and chat with, Ivy a very alert centurion of prime value to society at large and women’s empowerment too. Ivy was 107 years but still young in spirit and at her age she was good. May he flight to heaven be welcomed by the heavenly Almighty God and may she recieve her reward of eternal life and a crown fitting her contribitions and rich long life of goodness and peace.