Lorna Norice Otto (formally Thomas), Ms. Otto, Mommy, Reds, as she was affectionately known, was born on March 9, 1953 in Kingston, Jamaica.

 

She was the third child of Bishop S.U. and Mother Annie -Joyce Thomas of the Emmanuel Apostolic Church. 

 

As one of 9 children, Lorna quickly distinguished herself as the life of the party, a jokester and the one who rallied her siblings together.

 

She attended the St. George’s Girls’ school in Kingston and then later went on to attend the Saint Andrew Technical High School, where she excelled and grew in popularity as a part of the netball and athletics teams. 

 

At age 10, Lorna accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of her life at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church (EAC).  

She blossomed into an outstanding singer of the EAC Choir and also sang with her siblings as a member of the group “Everton Thomas and the Pathfinders”.

 

At the age of 19,

she was volunteered by her parents to attend the wedding of Bishop and Sis Earnest Baker, where she and her sister Jenny would represent their parents.

She reluctantly travelled to the wedding in Manchester, in obedience to her parents.

It was there she met the love of her life, Frank Anthony Otto.  He was tall, dark, and handsome, perhaps not the sharpest dresser,  but he definitely caught her eye.

He must have made a good impression on her as 16 months later they were married.

 

After marrying, she continued her studies at the Mico Teachers College, where she graduated with a degree in education.  She then went on to teach Mathematics

at the St Catherine High School for several years, where she nurtured and molded the minds and spirits of many young persons.  

She later moved on from teaching in the classroom to working in real estate and managing the family business.

 

Two years into her marriage, her husband became the Pastor of the “most exciting church around” Linstead Pentecostal Tabernacle and Lorna stood by his side.  Over the years she served in many capacities including, new converts class teacher, choir director, praise and worship leader and in house counsellor. She visited the sick at home and in hospitals. She was passionate about pursuing excellence in all spheres of life and took the time to teach others seemingly small things like personal hygiene tips, how to walk by another member during service so as not to be disruptive and how to position your arms on the pews so as not to encroach on the person next to you.

 

As the couples ministry director, she taught young (and old) married couples how to build great marriages and how to balance their lives with love and laughter, while pursuing their responsibilities.

 

Lorna was the inaugural president of the Jamaica Pentecostal Union (Apostolic) Pastor’s Wives Association, which was an unmatched movement in the Apostolic churches.  She used this platform to encourage women to position themselves for greatness in all areas of life. She promoted the notion of balancing life between spiritual and temporal endeavors. 

 

Lorna was a beacon of light for many young people.  She believed that everyone deserved an opportunity to receive the best education possible. With this in mind,

she accompanied many shy students to college and university interviews. 

If the students were not successful in their pursuit. Lorna moved on to plan B which included making calls to the decision makers at these institutions. She never accepted the first “no” as the final answer.

 

Of course being human, Lorna had her flaws. One of her greatest struggles would be against the clock.  She was always optimistic about how much time she had remaining to get to her destinations.  On one such occasion, she was late for her flight. With her determination paired with her unwillingness to take no for an answer, Lorna was able to get the airline to reopen the doors when she arrived to the gate after boarding had been completed.

 

Lorna gave birth to four children. Three girls, Keisha, Tammy and Yanique and her one son Frank, Jr.  They have

have produced eight grandchildren.

As a mother, she was loving and devoted. She took the time to know and treat each of her children as individuals. Their dreams became her dreams, their disappointments were also hers. She encouraged them to be persistent,

push boundaries and not take no as an answer. She encouraged them to do their best and is remembered for often saying,  “whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well”.

 

Lorna always cherished her 

family and always told her children  …”If anything ever happened to me, I want you all to stick together.”  It’s as though she knew she would be the first to go. She knew that she was building a family unit so strong that in times of sorrow they would have each other to lean on.

 

At the age of 53, Lorna began to show signs of early onset Alzheimer’s  and spent her last years confined to bed. 

On April 24th, 2023, her health further declined and she was hospitalized.  Lorna was determined to get the family together one last time. She fought to stay alive until her husband and all her children were by her bedside together.  She took her final breath on April 28th, 2023 the day which marked her 50th wedding anniversary.

 

Lorna was indeed a great woman of virtue, one who epitomized the Proverbs 31 Virtuous Woman.

She will never be forgotten.

Her legacy lives on, not only in her family but through all those she helped as she journeyed through her life.