Freddie Mae Ushrea

Dear Aunt Freddie, the dictionary defines “Godmother” as “…a woman who promises to take responsibility for the moral or religious education of a child, and traditionally presents the child at baptism; a guardian angel on Earth, a woman who offers love, support, and encouragement.” You did exactly this and so much more! At 4 years old, you began to shape my entire childhood with such rich experiences and guidance; from going to church every Sunday, attending VBS and Sunshine Band, piano and dance lessons, beauty pageants, school and clothing choices, sending Mahogony/ethnic greeting cards appended with “God” wherever the word mother appeared, summers setting up your Sharpe classroom, riding in your sky blue Cougar coupe listening to WDIA, combing my hair with Wildroot, eating Swanson TV turkey and dressing dinners, watching TV in the little den, McDonald Big Macs, and KFC even though Jack Pirtle was your favorite chicken.

Our Saturday shopping sprees at Goldsmiths, Julius Lewis, and Gus Mayer to dress me in the finest attire, with monogramed ensembles. You introduced me to so many lifetime friends and “God” siblings, and now we all recount our shared experiences with you. But my favorite memory is when you were looking for a new house and you said you would let me pick the house. We finally agreed that the house on Dallas Street was the right one because it had a little carriage house that you turned into my own little playhouse fully decorated with a little kitchen, living space with curtains, and learning space. Aunt Freddie, you were a true ANGEL charged by GOD to be a REAL GODMOTHER. Every child that encountered you felt your love through words of encouragement, spiritual guidance, and material gifts.

Your care and love were continuous and generational, as so many of us have stated that not only did you care for us, but for our children (and even some grandchildren) encouraging them to have fun and pursue educational excellence; there was never a selfish bone in your body, and you “walked” a godly life. I have too many memories to recall here and will hold them in my heart as personal treasures of “my Godmother”. I am thankful for the many experiences, words of encouragement, and life lessons. Our mothers were blessed to have a friend in you, Aunt Freddie, who loved and cared for their children like they were your own. I am grateful for your life and footprint on this earth. Rest in peace Aunt Freddie... well done, thy good and faithful servant.

~ Acknowledgements ~

The family acknowledges with deep and sincere apprecation all expressions of love, kindness and support during this time.

Special thanks to everyone who reached out to support us during what is a very trying time. Your gestures of help and humanity have not gone unnoticed. May the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, rest with each of you and may God abundantly bless you for being such a profound blessing to us during this time.

Special thanks to St. Francis Hospital Park, ER & ICU “D” Staff, and Signature Primacy Rehabilitation Facility Staff, Dr. William V. Bingham, Dr. Tameez Din, Dr. Matthew Mabie, and Dr. Dan Shell. ~The Family

~ Honorary Pallbearers~ Pallbearers~

Rico Hilger Anthony Scherrod Tony Jones Devin Scherrod Terrance Rubin Larry Woods

~ Honorary Pallbearers~ Pallbearers~

Jerry A. Crum Melrose C’O 1959 Jerry L. Crum Men of MMBC-OM Askari Frith James E. Stewart Sharpe Elementary School

We love you Cyndi, Billy, Morgan, and Alex Ingram.

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“Let the work I’ve done speak for me”

Life’s Reflections

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On Saturday, January 18, 1941, Vernell Ushrea Wade, gave birth to a bouncing baby girl she named Freddie Mae Ushrea. She was raised by her late grandmother, Mary Etta Ushrea. Both her mother and grandmother preceded her in death.

Freddie Mae accepted Christ at an early age and united with the Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, Orange Mound, under the pastorate of the late Rev. R. W. Norsworthy. She remained a lifelong, faithful member until her health failed.

Freddie is a member of the Melrose distinguished “Twelve Year” students and was voted by her peers as the “friendliest” in her last year at Melrose!

No doubt, her appreciation for singing was influenced by her experiences singing with the legendary WDIA Teen Town Singers! Additionally, Freddie Mae Ushrea was an active recruiter for the Memphis Area NAACP and signed up many adults and youths during their annual membership drives. After graduating from high school, Freddie began matriculating at Owen College and later transferred to the newly merged LeMoyne-Owen College - the only HBCU in Memphis. Ms. Ushrea graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from LeMoyne-Owen College in 1963. She went on to obtain her certification from the State of Tennessee on July 17, 1963 to teach elementary grades 1 – 9. Her Master of Science Degree was received from thenMemphis State University on August 14, 1971. Her first teaching assignment was as a first-grade teacher at Walker Elementary School on Walker Avenue.

She retired as a kindergarten teacher from Sharpe Elementary School after 39+ years of service having served as both a teacher and a substitute teacher for then-Memphis City Schools. In the community, Freddie was an active recruiter for the Memphis Branch NAACP and enrolled many youths as members.

Although Freddie Mae never married or bore any children, she has many that she can claim. She was first known to these children as Ms. Ushrea but eventually became known as “Aunt Freddie” in 1978 when Chris Higgs and Leigh Hood enrolled in her kindergarten class and wanted them to address her as “Aunt Freddie” outside of the classroom. In order for them to remember to call her “Aunt”, their parents adopted this name, too, as did other adults.

Aunt Freddie impacted the lives of children as their kindergarten, first grade, Sunday School and/or Vacation Bible School teacher and did not believe in children being idle. Every summer, you would receive a packet of worksheet lessons for the next grade level. She also believed in exposing children to things they might not have otherwise been exposed to, often times spending her own resources for them to participate in activities such as visiting Chucalissa Indian Village, the Circus, Fuller Park, the Mid-South Fair and the Rodeo. Her love did not stop there. It went on to influence the third and fourth generations of long-time and dear church family members of Mary Ann Wallace and the late Mrs. Marian Roberts.

Always a very private person, Aunt Freddie requested to have no visitors or calls when she became ill. For her adopted nieces whom she’d charged with her care, it was imperative that Aunt Freddie’s requests for privacy be honored, in addition to her adamant request for only a graveside memorial, although it was often shared with her that there were many who wanted to visit. The night before she passed, while in the emergency room, Aunt Freddie seemed to have received notice from her Heavenly Father that her time here was quickly coming to an end. She gave instructions on who to call to inform where she was – Annetta, Maude, Ellen and Carolyn; Rose already knew. After it was determined that she was going to be admitted and would probably remain in the ER overnight, her last words to Lynne and Lorian before they left that evening were “thanks for coming”.

Aunt Freddie felt the gentle touch of God and heard him whisper her name on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 at 1:50pm as she transitioned from this earth into Heaven’s pearly gates.

She will lovingly and forever be remembered by her adopted nieces, Andrea Lynne Hood Crum (Jerry), Lorian Hood-Stewart (James), and Leigh Hood; adopted great-nieces and great-nephews, LeJorian Stewart-Fowler (GeMelle), Jerry Anthony Crum, Jandrea Alise Crum, Joyrilyn Ashleigh Crum and Askari Saliim Frith; goddaughter, Cyndi Barksdale Ingram (Billy); grand-godchildren Morgan Ingram and Alex Ingram; godson Terrance Rubin; lifelong friends Maude Glover, Rose A. Hood, Ellen Perkins, Carolyn Scherrod; and sister-friend/colleague Annetta Hamilton. Aunt Freddie also had an enduring bond with other colleagues after retiring – Ruby Holeyfield, Ladelle Locke, Betty McDaniel, the late Evelyn Vavasseur, and Delores Walker.

An angel in disguise, whether she was Freddie Mae, Ms. Ushrea or Aunt Freddie, she will sorely be missed by a plethora of friends, family and colleagues who loved her dearly.

Rest well, Aunt Freddie, for your work here has been completed. Always with all of our love, until we meet again……

Order of Celebration Saturday, December 7, 2024 10:00 A.M.

Memorial Park Cemetery

5668 Poplar Avenue • Memphis, Tennessee 38119 Dr. Harvey B. Jackson, Officiant Prayer...........................................................Rev. Nanci Bishop-Gibson Scripture Reading.........................................................Robert Tunstall Words of Comfort...........................................Rev. Anthony Henderson Solo........................................................................Bro. Darius Perkins Eulogy..............................................................Rev. Dr. Harvey Jackson Committal Recessional

Tribute From Adopted Great-Nieces & Great-Nephews We cannot count either the ways that you have impacted all of our lives or the ways in which we’ll miss you. We are saddened that the Lord has called you home, but we are grateful beyond measure for the time He allowed us to have with you and more importantly, to be able to call you our dear “Aunt”. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Our village was all the more blessed because of you. You made sure we were prepared for each stage of our elementary education, setting the foundation for the careers and livelihood that we enjoy today. We loved on you and showered you with thanks whether you liked it or not and we’ll forever keep the memories of you in our hearts.

Every time we offer guidance to a child, we’ll hear you. Every time we make sure that a child knows the Lord and behaves in church, we’ll hear you. Every time we see little girls without hair bows, we’ll think of you. We’re smarter because of you. We’re tougher because of you. We would always read well, write proficiently, speak clearly & were well-behaved because of you. Whether you cheered us on from afar or corrected us when we were wrong, we always knew that you were in our corner helping us be our absolute best. Our dear Aunt Freddie, we loved you then, we love you still and we always will.