Remembering Mrs. Gerri Warren

JUNE 22, 1946 to JUNE 8, 2009

It was a few minutes after 10pm, and my little eyes were getting heavy. I had been working diligently on a homework assignment, and found that I was growing tired. The assignment was to make a map of a state out of dough. My mother lent her expertise toward my fifth grade project, wanting to put that extra special touch on it to ensure my good grade. She was known to be the night owl of the family, but at ten years old, I hadn’t picked up that trait. “Mommy, I’m tired. I can’t do this anymore,” I whined. She ignored me. Again, I mentioned how tired I was and that I couldn’t complete the assignment. Again, she ignored me. On my third attempt to get her attention, and approval to give-up, she left the spot where she was standing, and came and sat next to me at the kitchen table. “Chida, you have MY blood running through your veins, and as long as you do, I don’t EVER want to hear you say you’re tired.” Some way, somehow, I knew that statement was meant for more than just me completing my homework for the night, and I never forgot it. Gerri (which means ‘Warrior’) Warren, came from a hardworking family from the South. Tired wasn’t in her vocabulary, especially when there was something to be done. Those worker bee traits she picked up in her formative years helped her to create her pathway to success. She was a true foot soldier and woman, who I can now see, was well ahead of her time. My mother was always encouraging someone to think outside of the box, and go beyond what they believed their boundaries were. As far as she was concerned, there were no boundaries to what you could achieve. She believed that the only limits that existed were the ones placed on ourselves, due to complacency or ignorance.

Shortly after my mother passed, I found the one thing of hers that I wanted with me always… her Bible. The tattered and worn leather bound book that she left behind is what she strived to live by. Upon opening it, I found a note that she had written to herself as a reminder of her abilities. It said “I am responsible for my environment.” I reflect on that statement often, and I reflect on the impact she had on her environment, which we are all products of. Like a pebble thrown in a pond, her accomplishments have rippled throughout this city, state and nation. If you ever had the chance to experience her – her laughter, her tears, her jokes, he anger, her sadness, her happiness, her frustrations, her love, her preaching, her compassion, her teaching, her wisdom, or her God, then take that piece of her and know that you experienced someone inimitable. As we, the family and the community, celebrate her life and legacy, I would like to remind you, to not become weary in well doing. If you are in Christ, your reward is with the Father.

- Chida R. Warren-Darby