Victoria Selomie Rhodes, also known as Aunt Selma

​

Victoria Selomie Rhodes, also known as Aunt Selma, is celebrating her 104th birthday today.

Born on February 12th, 1920, in the village of Liberta, Antigua, she was named after the word “Selomie,” which means peace, and she has lived up to her name throughout her life.

Aunt Selma’s childhood was not easy. At age three, she and her older brother, Rueben, were left orphaned and had to go to live with relatives in the village of Swetes.

Despite their difficult circumstances, the siblings grew up to be very close and always looked out for each other. Aunt Selma has always been quiet, but she possesses a strong will and a deep sense of morality.

From a young age, Aunt Selma learned to trust in God, and the Holy Scriptures have guided her throughout her life. She has been an active St. John’s Seventh Day Adventist Church member, choir member, deaconess, and Bible worker.

Her commitment to her faith has set an example for many members of the Rhodes Family, who continue to sing, serve, and teach in their respective Church congregations.

Aunt Selma’s professional life has been marked by diligence and honesty. She worked in the Government Treasury and spent some time at the Blue Waters Hotel.

Despite her small stature, she has a healthy appetite and loves eating Fungi, Fish, and Veggie Soup.

Her favorite drink is the occasional Bryson Sweet Drink, and she looks great in pink, her favorite color. She is also a bit vain, and you can never take her photo without her wearing her pink sunglasses and her “good wig.”

Aunt Selma is very involved with her family, which includes one daughter, one granddaughter, one grandson-in-law, two grandchildren, and over two hundred nieces and nephews.

She guards her independence fiercely, even in the United Nations of Rhodes, and has been known to walk all kinds of back roads from Fort Road to Nevis Street, well into her mid-nineties, so that the Church Bus would not pick her up.

Despite her age, Aunt Selma remains active and vibrant, and her guiding principle in life remains “Put God First in All Things.”

She inspires all who know her, and her legacy will undoubtedly live on for generations to come.