From the rising of the sun, to the setting of the same...
August 6, 2014
My father was born on October 9, 1935 in Fowlstown, GA. He graduated from Hutto High School in 1954 and lettered in all major sports. He served in the United States Navy from 1954-1956.
He met my mother, Doris Bernice Williams, in Jacksonville, FL and they got married on July 19, 1957. In the fall of that same year, they moved up north... first to New York City, NY and a short time later, to Philadelphia, PA where they settled permanently. I was born in 1958 and I'm the only child my parents had.
For several years, my father worked for Food Fair Supermarkets, but later trained to become a master barber. He opened and operated his own barber shop, which was located near the corner of 60th & Larchwood Avenue in Cobbs Creek.
He was a devoted member of New Welcome Baptist Church at 20th & Parrish Streets in North Philadelphia, where he served as Vice-President of the Trustee Board for 20 years.
Because of a gunshot wound to the abdomen that almost killed him in 1964, he suffered with a variety of related health problems. God blessed him with several more years of life, but he never fully recovered.
He lived to see the birth of his only grandchild, Tasha, in 1981 and he was with us until she reached early adulthood. His health began to slowly decline in the mid-90s and he ultimately passed away on May 2, 2002. He loved life and fought hard to stay here as long as he could.
Unfortunately, he never had a chance to meet his three great grandchildren because they were born after he passed away: Elijah (2006), Sophia (2009), and Alexis (2012).
We praise and thank God for the 38 years He granted him beyond that near-fatal day in 1964. I was 6 years old when that happened, but my father was spared and continued to be a part of my life until I was 44 years old. He was 'thirty-something' years old when the cover photo used for this memorial was taken, and he was blessed to reach the age of 65 before he passed away. See funeral program in photo gallery for additional details.
He met my mother, Doris Bernice Williams, in Jacksonville, FL and they got married on July 19, 1957. In the fall of that same year, they moved up north... first to New York City, NY and a short time later, to Philadelphia, PA where they settled permanently. I was born in 1958 and I'm the only child my parents had.
For several years, my father worked for Food Fair Supermarkets, but later trained to become a master barber. He opened and operated his own barber shop, which was located near the corner of 60th & Larchwood Avenue in Cobbs Creek.
He was a devoted member of New Welcome Baptist Church at 20th & Parrish Streets in North Philadelphia, where he served as Vice-President of the Trustee Board for 20 years.
Because of a gunshot wound to the abdomen that almost killed him in 1964, he suffered with a variety of related health problems. God blessed him with several more years of life, but he never fully recovered.
He lived to see the birth of his only grandchild, Tasha, in 1981 and he was with us until she reached early adulthood. His health began to slowly decline in the mid-90s and he ultimately passed away on May 2, 2002. He loved life and fought hard to stay here as long as he could.
Unfortunately, he never had a chance to meet his three great grandchildren because they were born after he passed away: Elijah (2006), Sophia (2009), and Alexis (2012).
We praise and thank God for the 38 years He granted him beyond that near-fatal day in 1964. I was 6 years old when that happened, but my father was spared and continued to be a part of my life until I was 44 years old. He was 'thirty-something' years old when the cover photo used for this memorial was taken, and he was blessed to reach the age of 65 before he passed away. See funeral program in photo gallery for additional details.