Deacon Gloria McFarlane Flemming’s official job title at Ardenne High School, spanning five generations of graduates, was bursar. She monitored cash inflows, examined bills, and dispatched cheques, and much more. But, in reality, she served as a school mother for decades, caring for needy students long before guidance counsellors existed, quietly providing hope and support.

She celebrated her 100th birthday on June 14 with a special tribute event at the Olson Memorial Chapel on Hope Road in St Andrew. Family members, colleagues, church members, well-wishers, and past students reflected on her life of service, dedicated exclusively to the Church of God in Jamaica. Yet, it was not her administrative duties that took centrestage, but her enduring commitment to benevolence, assisting those in need, whether at Ardenne or at High Holborn Church of God.

From early on, Flemming was blessed with a vast network of contacts, which she consistently used to enrich the lives of others. Born and raised in Allman Town, Kingston, she was christened and confirmed at St Matthew’s Anglican Church in downtown Kingston. She attended Alpha Infant and Alpha Elementary schools and went on to devote her life to service within the Church of God in Jamaica, operators of Ardenne High School. Gloria was married to Samuel Augustine Flemming on April 23, 1958. Her husband died many years ago, and her only son, Vernon Lloyd Gardener passed away in February 2019.