Myrah Keating was born on St. Thomas on June 1, 1908, the first of twin girls. Myrah and her devoted sister Andromeada at the age of three moved with their family to the island of St. John. Myrah and her sister started their primary education with Private tutoring; after which they attended the Bethany Elementary School on the neighboring island of Lovango. Lessons were held in the "Parlor" of Mrs. Anderson's home; Myrah and her headmistress Mrs. Silvanie Sewer would leave home in the early morning by row boat and return in the late afternoon. When the headmistress could no longer make the trip they were turored by their stepfather Edward Moorehead Sr. who was an avid reader.

When a family friend, whose daughter had attended Tuskegee Institute mentioned the insitute in high regard during a visit, Myrah's Mother and Father after much consideration made the decision to send their 14 year old girl to attend the institute in Alabama. In October 1922, she left for Tuskegee Alabama; it took her 8 days by ship to New York and 3 days via train to Alabama.

After studying dress making and home crafts, she transferred to Albion Andrew Memorial Hospital also in Alabama, where she was the first and only student from the V.I. to study surgical nursing. She graduated from there with a degree as an RN and Midwife, after which she returned home in 1931 to begin her nursing career.

Miss Myrah, Aunt My, Nennie Myrah, Mama, Grandma, et al as she was so affectionately known, was a nursing pioneer on St. John and was for the first 20 years or so the only health care provider. St. John at that time had no doctor of its own. Later there was a visiting doctor, whom she assisted in whatever capacity the situatioon called for. Nennie Myrah was the public health nurse, school nurse, registered nurse, midwife, and remarkably the mother of 3 daughters. Together with her husband Alan "Poppa" Smith and her devoted sister Miss Meada, they  raised three lovely children, Andromeada, Emily, and Myrah.

She once said, "anytime they came for me I would go," and certainly any place Nennie Myrah was needed she would be there. In 1934 Nennie Myrah delivered the first of what would be over 500 babies on St. John, some of them were the children of the babies she delivered, and most of them, if not all, were her godchild. Up until the day she passed away she could remember the birthday of all of them.

In those early days if you observed a lone figure, riding a donkey towards Cruz Bay from as far away as Coral Bay in the morning twilight it was more than likely Miss Murah returning home after administering to one of her patients; and if by chance she slept as she rode "My best riding ass", no problem, for you see her donkey knew his way home. He'd made the journey many times before.