It’s not every day that you get the chance to meet someone like Zillah Brown. I first talked with her during a meeting in preparation for her 100th birthday, all the way back in 2018. I remember her being witty and spirited, able to balance comedy and wisdom in a delightful way. She was alert and active, fairly independent and plenty able to enjoy her life.

The party that year was a grand occasion. Some of her descendants travelled from places as distant as Australia or the USA in order to attend. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham at the time, Councillor Yvonne Mosquito, read a letter sent by Her Majesty the Queen to congratulate Zillah on her long and prosperous life, which happily continued until her passing.

Today, when it would’ve been her 106th birthday, her numerous family got together to celebrate her life and bid her farewell. Seeing generation after generation of her descendants stand up in succession really gave us all a sense of the scale of her impact and legacy. At the time of her passing, she had 7 children and 2 step-children, 25 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren, 21 great-great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-great-grandchildren. Quite impressive!

The stories that her relatives and friends shared about Zillah’s involvement and significance in their lives were both entertaining and inspiring. The eulogy was brilliant. The great-grandchildren reprised a song they’d sung at the 100th birthday party, and all in all, I felt very honoured to be there. I’ll take this chance to thank Zillah’s daughter Sheryl, who was the one that booked me for the 100th birthday back then, for contacting me again and ask me to play the sax during the viewing. I’m glad I could celebrate Zillah, both when she was alive and now that she’s no longer with us.

The hymns requested by her family for the ceremony were Blessed Assurance and When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder. I was also asked to play my Caribbean Medley, to which you can listen to here: