Riverdale ‘supercentenarian’ celebrates 110th birthday

Not many can say they made it to 100 and even fewer could say they made it 110. But the oldest living resident at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale Adlin Boyd Douglas can.

“I feel satisfied,” Douglas told The Riverdale Press of her 110th birthday over the phone.

Her secret to a life of longevity and good health? Being a spiritual person and the Seventh-Day Adventist Diet, which includes not having caffeine, alcohol, or smoking, explained 74-year-old Phyllis Steele. She is Douglas’ surrogate daughter of 69 years.

A huge party was planned for Douglas but was unfortunately canceled due to her falling weak and having trouble getting into a wheelchair and sitting up, said Steele. Nevertheless a small party was held at her home at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, with family members, relatives and friends coming by to celebrate the big day.

“People have been coming by all this week,” Steele told The Press. “We can’t get rid of people.”

Douglas received a call wishing her a happy birthday from Abraham Jules, president of the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, which administers 183 churches. Members of the Riverdale Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist Church also sent flowers for the occasion.

Mark Brathwaite only became her pastor at the church in August 2022 but had a lot of praise for Douglas.

“I think it is a testament to her faith, her belief in God and her way of living,” said Brathwaite. “...Her memory is still sharp, and she encourages all who go to visit her. She looks forward in great anticipation to the return of her Lord and Savior, Jesus.”

Douglas was born on Dec. 14, 1913 in the Republic of Panama by her Jamaican parents Alfred and Margaret Mott Boyd. Douglas was the third of six children, composed of five girls and one boy.

When Douglas was 1 she and her mother left her father behind in Panama and  returned to Jamaica alongside her aunt, Edna, explained Brathwaite.

When her mother got to Jamaica she became a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, with Douglas soon also joining.

“In 1942, she fell in love and later married Ashman Douglas,” Brathwaite said. “In 1954, Adlin and Ashman migrated to the United States, sponsored by the late R. Rosenfeld and his wife Olive Levy Rosenfeld. Mrs. Rosenfeld and Adlin were childhood acquaintances.”

This is how Steele’s relationship with Douglas came to be as she was the 5-year-old daughter of the Rosenfelds. Steele’s mother sponsored her to come to her Riverdale home on Waldo Avenue and Douglas helped out at the house as a babysitter until she could get her papers.

Steele said that Douglas was basically a surrogate mother to her from the age of 5, words that made Douglas nod in agreement. She said that both of them are related by blood but by many many generations back.

“She is the closest thing to a saint that I can imagine,” Steele said. “She’s very even-tempered, she doesn’t get upset easily. She’s very mild mannered. And even though she only has the equivalent of a high school education, she’s one of the most educated people I have ever met. She was an avid reader, (you would) never see her without a book in her hands. If it wasn’t the Bible, it would be some historic book or autographic of some famous person she had admired. But she has a very gentle soul about her.”

A few months after Douglas arrived in New York City, her husband Ashman, a Peugeot specialist, joined her, eventually opening his own Peugeot garage in Riverdale. Douglas lived in Steele’s home until about 1960, then moved to an apartment with her husband at Broadway between 242nd and 250th streets.

Once Douglas got her papers she began working in Manhattan on a regular basis as a professional seamstress. She worked in couture houses in the city from about 1960 to 1974.

Douglas continued her faith in God by joining the City Tabernacle congregation in upper Manhattan.

She later joined the newly established branch in Yonkers. Douglas became one of the founding members of the Riverdale Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 1977.

She held numerous titles over 20 years including deaconess, sabbath school teacher and the church’s librarian.

Brathwaite explained how Doulgas has served in almost every church office and was voted to be an Elder under the Pastoral Ministry of Pastor Charles Creech, who was the church’s third pastor since its inception, he said.

She held this position for about 10 years, later being asked to serve in an honorary capacity and supplying help from behind the scenes.

By the time Steele got married in 1975 Douglas had just retired. Douglas decided to move to Chicago with her sister.

Meanwhile in 1977 Steele had her first child, then another child in 1979, Dorianne and Alexandra Steele. However, in 1985 Steele’s husband died prematurely from cancer.

This was a desperate moment when Steele was without a husband and a job.

She asked Douglas for help and Douglas made the decision to come back and help Steele raise both of her children.

Steele was offered a job at The Riverdale Press by former publisher Richard Stein, who she had known since she was 6, as a marketing director and she was able to support herself while Douglas raised her children from 1986 to 2010.

In Douglas’ retirement she could be found going to museums or national parks, vacationing to California or Europe, sewing, knitting and crocheting pajamas for peoples birthdays and even one time creating a wedding dress for her niece.

When asked what message she might have for people, Douglas said to respect all humans and believe in God.

“We are truly blessed to have shared Adlin Boyd Douglas’s extraordinary journey,” said David Pomeranz, RiverSpring Living’s chief operating officer.

“Celebrating a 110th birthday is a remarkable occasion, and a testament to the enduring spirit and resilience of the human soul.

“It is an honor to be part of a community that not only provides care and nurturing, but becomes a second home for a long and well-lived life. This milestone is a celebration of not just longevity, but the rich tapestry of experiences, wisdom, and joy that each resident brings to our extended family.”