Obituary of Mrs. Dularey Williams

Dularey Williams (née Persaud) was born  to Parbatie Guljar and Balo Persaud in Lusignan, East Coast, Demerara on January 8, 1932.  Her parents were farmers who made a modest living along Demerara’s golden sugar cane estates. Dularey was the eldest of 8 children, a role that she took seriously and  instilled in her at an early age, a motherly sense of duty and responsibility, for she had 5 younger brothers and 2 younger sisters to help her mother tend to.

As a result, she did not have the opportunity to complete an elementary school education, but admirably, that never seemed to prevent her from living a life that was industrious, street-wise, and  full of courage and generosity.

She spent the latter part of her childhood living in Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara and as a young woman, later moved to Kitty, Georgetown. On her way to work one day, a young man on his bicycle stopped her and they began to chat. His name was Neville Christopher Williams, and he was a talented baker who worked in Georgetown as well. It didn’t take the two of them long to determine that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. In the early 1950’s they moved to Lodge, Georgetown and the young couple were wed on January 1st, 1952. In 1953, they then moved to Good Faith, Mahaicony.

Dularey gave birth to 8 children, 7 boys and 1 girl, but sadly, due to the poverty and conditions of the time, only 5 survived. Together, Dularey and her husband raised their 5 sons- Richard, Cedric, Rohit, Timothy and Eric. In 1973, they lost their dear son Timothy in a tragic car accident and several months later, in 1974, Neville would succumb to illness  and the devastation over the loss of his young son as well.

Widowed at 42 years of age, with plenty of life in her yet and faced with the challenge of finding a new way to make ends meet, Dularey became fondly and popularly known in the village as a beloved entrepreneur at the Novar Primary School peddling her famous “Flutie” (snacks of pureed fresh fruit that were frozen and cut into blocks.) After many years of delighting the tastebuds of her juvenile patrons, Dularey finally “closed up shop” and immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1988 to start yet another new chapter of her life there.

Familiar to all whom she crossed paths with, Dularey’s motto was one of abundance. Despite not having a great deal materially, she was someone who always made the most of what she had and was never unwilling to share that with others.

Her beautiful, soulful renditions of folk songs and old Hindi classics (how she loved to sing!), her drumming and singing of bhajans at village gatherings, maticoor nights, weddings and nine-days, colorful stories of her youth, and her delicious cooking, will forever be missed - steaming, peppery butterfish stews, savory fish cakes, dal and rice,  flavorful chowmein, hearty cook-up and sweet, ripe fried plantains- those foods will always have a special meaning to those of us who were fortunate enough to be spoiled by her talents in the kitchen.

Dularey was an adored mother, mother-in-law, sister and aunt and leaves behind four sons, daughter-in-law, Raj, 2 grandsons, 6 granddaughters, 15 great-grandchildren and a 16th who is presently on his way. While your absence will be deeply felt, “Mommy”,  we will remember you best for your gentle smile, deliberate and wise way of imparting words of wisdom, and your relentless will in the face of adversity. May you be at peace and one with the universe as you reunite with those who left before you. We love you always.

Written by her granddaughter Cassandra Ramjit on behalf of the entire family.