Joshwa D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Aug 13: Mary Noronha, 96-year-old great great grandmother of an 11-month-old baby, breathed her last on Friday, August 12. With her demise, a rare family of five generations has lost one generation.

The age gap between Mary Noronha and and great great granddaughter Liya was 95 years and in between them, five generations existed.

Every middle-aged person longs for grandchildren. He or she tries to forget the pain of aging by trying to become a kid with the grandchild. This family was fortunate to see many grandchildren spread across generations. The family was overwhelmed with joy as baby Liya Regina Pinto was born eleven months ago. The birth of Liya made Mary Noronha a great great grandmother and the family became one of the few to achieve the rare feat of having five generations of females. The cry 'it's a girl!' was truly music to the ears to everyone in the family.

The third generation started with great grandmother Helen Mascarenhas (now 75), and then grandmother Patricia Pinto (now 52). Patricia Pinto's daughter Samantha Pinto (29) marks the fourth generation and is mother to baby Liya Regina Pinto.

While the two younger members of the five generations stay in Dubai, Mary Noronha stayed in her house near Padua school while the other two grandmothers of Liya stay in Valencia in separate houses.

Daijiworld had spoken to the five-generation family members some days back while Mary Noronha was healthy. When asked about the secret behind this rare phenomenon, Patricia Pinto had said, "My mother, my grandmother and I got married at a younger age as compared to my daughter Samantha. This could be the prime reason but nevertheless you cannot ignore my grandmother's achievement. She is still fit except the fact that her health is of concern these days.

"She is a hardworking woman who ate the food she grew. Whatever she grew, she also fed to her children. Be it vegetables or rice or fruits, she ate the same and fed the same to her children, grand children and even the great grand children, and hence she has been able to live so long. One more reason that kept my mother and grandmother young and healthy is that we lived in a joint family at my grandmother's place until my generation and with so many members in the same house, you will be happier and forget the aging factor.

"Liya lives in Dubai with her mother and I along with her grandpa Louis Pinto go to Dubai to spend time with her as per our convenience," she added.

Speaking about the rare five-generation phenomenon among the Catholic families of Mangaluru origin, she said, "We used to hear about the same happening among families of other religions. It has become rare among Catholic families nowadays. It is a joyous feeling," she said.

When Liya turns one-year-old on September 9, unfortunately her great great grandmother will not be around that day.