Sadie Petway Wharton

On a December day in the year 1935, the 15th of the month a baby girl was born to the late John Henry and Queen Esther Whitehead. Sadie Belle Whitehead was the twelfth and last child born into this North Carolina household. She joined a family as one of twelve siblings (four brothers and seven sisters). She was born and grew up in the south at a time when you would find “strange fruit” hanging from the trees.

Times were hard both inside and outside the home. Her father was a sharecropper (also known as a tenant farmer) and mother a housekeeper. They were lucky that time allowed the siblings to come into the household on a staggered basis. When Sadie arrived some of the older siblings had already left to make their imprint on the world.

She was the last of the siblings to leave the family home. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School, in Rocky Mount., North Carolina, she left for Washington, DC. The family traditions and stigma of the time, that of being an unwed mother, forced her to head north to Washington, DC.

She moved to Washington, DC. There she found shelter and help from her sisters, who had already established a foothold in the area. She gave birth to a baby boy in January 1954. Soon after, she went back to Rocky Mount to advocate for the baby’s name and “ring on the finger.” On June 15, 1955, Sadie Whitehead and General Petway Jr. were married in Washington, DC by a local pastor. Four years later, two more baby boys joined the household.

Soon after the third baby boy, Mr. Petway joined the ranks of “missing husbands and fathers.” Leaving his wife and three boys to fend for themselves. Mrs. Petway had proven she would fight for what is owed to her no matter what comes down the road of life.

The early years with three small boys were rough but she persevered through it with help from her sisters in the Washington area. She was able to get cleaning and sales jobs at local businesses in the city. She was able to join a work training program with the city government. The training opportunity led to a permanent job position where she worked for several years before retiring from the government.

Sadie met and later married a man named Clarence (Bobby) Wharton during this time of working for the city government. They were married on December 8, 1985, in Alexandria, Virginia. They were still growing old together until her passing on April 15, 2023.

She was the last surviving member of her Whitehead family siblings. She was preceded in death by two of her boys, Michael first followed by Barry. She leaves behind a faithful husband, Bobby, a dutiful son, Gregory, a supportive daughter-in-law, Leonette, grandchildren, Ya'Quel, Da'mond and Jamaul, a host of great-grandchildren, nephews, and nieces.