Roberta Gloria Sherman Blain
July 1, 1948 - December 13, 2017
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2
Roberta Gloria Sherman Blain, daughter of Robert G. Sherman and Theresa King Sherman of Liberia was called home by her Good Shepherd on December 13, 2017 in Laurel, Maryland. Gloria leaves to celebrate her life her three daughters, Weahde Chantal Weefur Greaves (Didi), Therence Roberta Weefur (Teri), Sara Natasha Weefur-Burney (Tashi); her son Francis Blain, Jr. (Mundow); her son-in-law, William Elwood Greaves Jr.; her five grandchildren who were her pride-and-joy, Liam Greaves, Ann-Therese Greaves, Ausar Weefur-Coleman, Nadia Burney, and Chantal Greaves; her beloved cousins whom she loved like siblings, and a close circle of family members and friends, each with their own special relationship with her.
Dear Gloria, Mummy, Glo-Glo, Tante Glo, Glo and all the other names you were affectionately known by, we find comfort knowing that your soul is resting in perfect, joyful peace with Christ, who was the love of your life. We find strength in knowing that we have another fierce angel looking out for us from above. Thank you for the special, indispensable part you have played in all of our lives. Rest well with the One who knows your name!
Funeral Arrangements
The family kindly requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Samaritan’s Purse (an organization she admired for their work in Liberia) at the memorial page in the name of Roberta Gloria Sherman Blain: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/memorial-page/roberta-gloria-sherman-blain-laurel-md
Several planned tributes will be given during the funeral service. All other tributes can be left in the "Tributes" section below for posterity and any photos of Gloria can be added in the "Gallery" section of this site.
Funeral Service:
Saturday, January 6th, 2018 10:30 AM (EST) at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, 14900 Annapolis Rd, Bowie, MD 20715
Interment to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 13801 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20906
Tributes
Leave a tributeby
Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.
Love and miss you, Mama! Xo
It's been a crazy year oh, and oftentimes I wonder what it's been like for you looking at it all from that side. I'm sure a much more hopeful view and better perspective. But through it all, we made it thus far and I know it's because you had our backs up there and your hand all up in the pot! I'm so happy that you are able to do for us on that end what would never have been possible on this end. I know heaven looks amazing on you!
Ehn you see your grands, eh? Doing their best to find their way through life. I know you're beaming with pride. I think about you still every day and smile at how much peace and joy by being one with God you finally have now. I love and miss you!
Your Jo
P.S. Thank you for your prayers on the health and the house. It worked (is still working)! Xoxo
Thank you for being there, for encouraging me, for staying in touch, for including me and for caring.
Thank you Didi, Tashi and Teri for the wonderful gift which was your mother!
With great sadness, I say goodbye Glo!
We all should take solace in the fact that she is resting with that beautiful smile on her face. Rest in peace Ms. Blain.
Rest In peace my sweetheart Gloria,
Love Jessie
Just shared the news of your passing with my team at Cachelle in Liberia. Their workday ended rather abruptly. They sat and shared "Godma Gloria" stories. You really changed many of our lives with your words of encouragement daily.
My heart hurts.....I still hear your voice clearly saying "Shoana..I am so proud of you". Thank you so much for loving and supporting me the way you did. I have always felt your love no matter how far apart we were. May you transition with grace. You were so beautiful to me. Thank you!!!
❤️ You! Rest Well Godma Gloria....Rest Nah.
Knowing your family, is experiencing your legacy and God's blessings. Rest In God's blessings and Peace
Gloria, how I wish I could have met you once again.
Leave a Tribute
Please be patient.
A Tribute to My Mama
As my siblings and I worked on the program for today, I was struck by the word “Witness” which appears at this part of the service. I meditated on the context of the word and want to share a strong quality of Mommy’s that I can testify to having witnessed.
Before I begin, though, let me say that Mommy has been showing us signs of a mother’s love from the other side, and it’s been comforting to receive and experience them as they occur. One of those signs, I believe, led me to writing this tribute to her:
Mommy had these beautiful elephant carvings--a mother and her calf--and the other day, I placed them on the shelf, near where she passed away at home. Every day since, I’ve stopped to look at that Mama Elephant and then I started thinking about how protective elephants are of their young. In the animal kingdom, elephant mothers are one of the most protective mothers. Their babies can usually be found hovering underneath them. They live in a matriarchal society, so, often, other females in the herd rally to assist the mother in ensuring their young are protected. When young elephants do encounter the dangers of their habitats, their mothers are quick to intervene.
That was my ma! And that described the village from which she came, and into which we were born. A village of fiercely protective women, whose duty it became to limit their family’s exposure to harm, hurt and heartache. Today, I’ll share with you just a few times over the course of my 43 years as her daughter, that I have witnessed that protective quality of hers.
One my earlier memories of Mommy in protective mode, was when a rogue broke into our house and Daddy was not home. It was just Mommy, Didi, tashi and me (i must have been about 7 or 8?). I won’t go into the full story--it’s a good one though--but for the sake of brevity, let’s just say that night involved mommy literally kicking the rogue in his behind, then debating whether she could actually fight him, until she saw tashi’s stunned face at the door. Eventually, Mommy...followed by me and didi holding some wood carvings in our hands as weapons and yelling leave “LEAVE MY MOMMY ALONE!”...chased that rogue out of our house. That night, I saw how fearless my mother could be when faced with protecting her young.
Next, when I was 13 or 14--actually, when Mommy was about the age I am now--a man who worked for us back home, had written something quite inappropriate on my bedroom wall. Imagine my ma springing into action when she found out what had happened, because of course, I had to report him to her. I remember standing back in awe, watching my mother become that fierce mama elephant...me standing in her shadow, as she handled that man in no uncertain terms. Instead of a kick, this time, let’s just say, someone got slapped good and then got fired promptly. No one was going to mess with her girls--that, she made crystal clear.
A few years later, in high school in Scarsdale, NY, as I rebelled against the new world and new life I found myself in, I ended up getting suspended for drinking a beer with some of my frisky friends on school grounds. I remember sobering up SO FAST when the dean called my mother in. I was so afraid of the punishment that was going to come. I remember mommy not saying much the ride home, which scared me even more, because as we know, Mommy was not afraid to speak her mind. When we got home, i was sick and got in my bed. Mommy walked in, placed her hand on my forehead and prayed over me long and hard. This was not the punishment i’d feared--instead, she used the Word of God to ask for protection over me. She knew the power of prayer well, and knew that in the space I was in emotionally, the best she could do to protect me was to ask the Lord to do so for her.
Mommy knew that sometimes it would take her feisty ways to protect her loved ones and other times, it would take a more subtle approach. I’m sure many of us here today could think of their own silly, poignant, surprising ways in which Mommy showed how protective of her family she was.
The last display of protection, is the most recent one….a bittersweet one b/c it was while she was ill. Actually, Didi had to point out to me because I couldn’t see it at the time.
When it was bedtime, I would tell Mommy to just call out my name if she needed me--that i was right down the hall and would hear her. At the beginning she would call me when she needed me. But there were some times when she wouldn’t call me, and the next morning when she would say she didn't have a good night, I would ask her why she didn’t call me and told her it upset me that she didn’t call on me when she needed me. She would just say, “ok, next time i will call you, you will see, I will humbug you good tonight!” When it happened a few more times, I shared my frustration with Didi and she told me not to look at it in that way---she told me that mommy probably felt like with all the care we gave her, that was the one small thing she could do for me….was to let me sleep. That was her way of protecting me in a situation we didn’t have much control over.
I realized that we were both trying to do the same for the other under the circumstances--those were instances where the child, now a mother too, and her mother only wanted to protect each other. As trying as it was at times, taking care of our mother was the most honorable thing any child could do for their parent. I thank God for the opportunity for us to show her the fruits of her love and protection, in the women she raised.
And now, how blessed are we to have the fiercest protector in our corner, watching over us from the best seat in the house--as an angel in heaven in the arms of the Lord.
I love you, Mama.
Love,
Your Josephine.
1/4/2018
My Loyal Friend Gloria
On the Purple Couch
The ever supportive family person is who my Cousin Gloria was to me. Through out the years she always kept in touch with me, whereever in the world we happen to be living. She was a force when my grandmother died in Dakar, Senegal. She arrived on the scene and "sat". She held us up...strong. When I had my own family I was blessed that she stayed with me in my own home and was able to host her. This was important for both she and I. Thank you for taking the time to come and see the shop and being a big supporter of me Cousin Gloria. I love you.