Evelyn Grace

January 14, 1933 Crowley, Louisiana to April 20, 2012 Rancho Belago, CA

Beloved daughter of Anthony (d. 1977) & Tella (d. 1983), sister to Anthony Jr. “Bootsy” (d. 1988) & Mary Hall (Robert-husband), cousin, aunt, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, & friend…

Evelyn Grace, always a trailblazer, soared through this journey of life imparting an amazing legacy to each life she encountered. Known from birth by the nickname, “Love” she wore this title with pride and honor.

She will always be remembered for her out of the box thoughts and ideas as well as her humor and zest for life. Her humor was intoxicating and contagious. She will also be remembered for her love for fashion, her expensive tastes, her regal presence, and her spicy honest tongue. Evelyn Grace was feisty, smart, and quite articulate. She loved dabbling and investing in real estate and land acquisition. She especially enjoyed yoga, trips to Yosemite, walking, and reading.

Evelyn Grace graduated Valedictorian of her high school class in 1951. Leaving high school to attend UCLA, she often shared of her early morning bus rides to UCLA as well as how different and challenging the experience was for a woman of color in the 1950’s. She earned an advanced degree in administration from Pepperdine University after her undergraduate experiences at UCLA and Cal State Long Beach.

She loved working with children and was quite proud of the pioneering work she did with gifted and enrichment programs throughout her 25+ years teaching and training young teachers for Los Angeles Unified School District. Her last position before retirement in Lomita, California was again another position not without its challenges related to being an innovative woman of color.

Spending time influencing children has always been an important and rewarding part of her life. She exposed all of the children in her family (not just her own) to the arts and an array of cultural events. Each summer she planned daily excursions to museums, historical sites throughout California, libraries, concerts, etc. She once took her daughter (Lorna) to see Marian Anderson the first African American to sing with the Metropolitan Opera in 1961. Together they went back stage, met Ms. Anderson, chatted with her, and got her autograph. These are the kinds of memories for which Evelyn Grace will always be “Loved” and remembered.

She especially loved her grandchildren Keith (Meteka-wife; Mahal-daughter), Lorraine, and Benjamin and enjoyed several trips, in the last days preceding her death, to their homes reminiscing, retelling her life-story, sharing pictures, and making us all laugh hysterically….

She is so missed, but I am sure her reunion with her father, mother, & brother was beyond joyous. She has missed them and grieved them for so long we cannot be selfish by keeping her here. We must all remember God’s promises of a sweet reunion because of His son’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Make Him first in your life so you too can see my mother again.

In loving memory to you mommy,

Your daughter Lorna Kendrick

(And Laurie wherever she may be)