IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Eldine Lynn Washington OCTOBER 23, 1966 - MAY 19, 2021
A LOVING TRIBUTE OCTOBER 23, 2021
LYNN Eldine Lynn Washington As the Sun rises in the east and slowly moves across the horizon, and setting in the west as a perfect day's work culminates; so did the life of Eldine Lynn Washington when she entered into eternal rest on the early morning of Wednesday May 19, 2021. She entered this earthly life as Eldine Lynn Small on October 23, 1966 in Jacksonville, FL to Geraldine M. Small and Thomas L. Mitchell. She was a graduate of The Stanton College Preparatory School inaugural Class of 1984, She then earned her BS degree from Jones College in 1989. She relocated with her family to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996, and then again to San Antonio, Texas in 2005. Eldine loved in life and leaves to cherish her memory a most loving husband of 34 years Rodney L. Washington; two sons Rodney II; Evan (Mayra); three daughters Jessica Washington Smith (William), Jianna, and Juliana. Granddaughter (Gigi's baby) Claudia Lynne Smith; Father Thomas L. Mitchell; sister Taydra Mitchell Jackson (Tony); brother Damian Mitchell (Sandra); Devoted Mother-in Love Sirnellar Washington Gartrell (James); Father-in love Kerry N. Crumbie (Sallie); God Son Malachi Timothy David Jones; Devoted cousins Alicia & Davida Jones; She was blessed with a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and many great friends.
LOVE LETTER "Your lover for life, Rodd" AI still remember the first time ever I saw you, donned in a two-piece striped outfit on the morning of Monday, August 24, 1981. I was being driven to school by my play aunt and mid conversation, I see a young lady walking down the sidewalk (you) and I say ‘I’m going to marry that girl’ as if it were a part of the conversation. My play aunt says, “ Rodney child what did you say?” I was like huh! She said you said you were gonna marry that girl, do you even know her? I’ve never seen her a day in my life.
I get to school she’s in three of my classes. But it was in Latin class that it all began with Latin adverb Ubi (where). In her comedic way, everything became Ubi this or Ubi that!! So the folks at our table became Ubi Michael, Ubi Theresa, Ubi Rodd, and of course we all called her Ubi Lynn. We became fast friends - over the course of the next year we had a standing Sunday phone call that led to us to October 4, 1982, when she agreed to be my girl. Our SCPS classmates couldn’t have been more surprised at what seemed an unlikely, but divine ordered pairing.
It was on our fourth dating anniversary October 4,1986 that she accepted my Carlyle and Company ring in a proposal of marriage. We became one and lovers for life on May 4, 1987, and it always Rodney and Eldine, never one without the other.
On Thanksgiving Day of that same year, we became Mommica and Daddica as Jessica our first born would later call us. Over the next several years we experienced much love and many adventures in life to include a stint with a gospel group known as NYCC. Then in October of 1992 we learned that we were expecting a new addition. In May 1993 a son was born. “She” decided he would be called Rodney II (lol, oh ok). As our love continued to grow so did our family. January 1995 another son Evan comes along to claim her as if she was his alone!!
A year later, career aspirations and opportunity takes us across country to Phoenix, AZ. There we continued to strengthen our relationship with each other, and the love of Christ as well. 2005, nine years later, career opportunity gives us another new chapter in the Washington Life book. San Antonio Texas here we are still enjoying the blessings and favor of the Most High. It’s now 2008 and here comes another family addition Jianna, but it doesn’t stop there. Along comes Juliana in 2009. Babe, pump the brakes we’ll never be able to retire I say jokingly!! She says “oh, now you’re a comedian aye Blackie” and we collectively laughed. So many trips and during this time and then, but never did I imagined in these 39 years together and 34 of them as one that I would be navigating without you as my co- pilot. (Lol, I can see that look on your face now, ok I was the co-pilot). While the Grand Canyon seems to occupy your place in my heart, I have to trust and believe your love and the memories we shared will begin to somewhat seal that space!
I will forever love and cherish you!! Your lover for life, Rodd
A Cherished Mother and Gigi You are and were, and will forever be You loved us throughout a lifetime And we’ll love you throughout eternity As children, your were our Mom and our strength The force upon which we relied You helped us grow through life’s laughter and tears And you always stood by our side
And when we brought our own children home Your commitment only grew You helped them, played with, and loved them
As only a Gigi can do And our children…They came to adore you! For you spoiled them with love and affection You treasured each one in such special ways There are too many examples to mention And though they were denied more days and years With a Gigi as wonderful as you You’ve filled their hearts with sweet memories That’ll remain a whole lifetime through. .
FAREWELL DEAR MOTHER Somewhere in my heart beneath all my grief and pain, Is a smile I still wear at the sound of your dear name. The precious word is ‘MOTHER’, she was my world you see, But now my heart is breaking cause she’s no longer here with me. God chose her for His angel to watch me from above, To guide me and advise me and know that I’m still loved. The day she had to leave me when her life on earth was through, God had better plans for her, for this, I surely knew. When I think of her kind heart and all those loving years, My memories surround me and I can’t hold back the tears. She truly was my best friend, someone I could confide in, She always had a tender touch and a warm and gentle grin. I want to thank you Mother for teaching me so well, And though the time has come that I must bid you this farewell. I’ll remember all you’ve taught me and make you proud you’ll see. Thank you my Dear Mother for all the love you showed me. Although you’ve left this earth and now you’ve taken flight, I know that you are here with me each morning, noon and night By an Unknown Author
Dearest Mother and Gigi, we love you! We find we cannot do enough To express the depths of our gratitude For your sacrifice and your love But trust that you’ll be remembered In sweetest memories every day For you have blessed our lives forever Through your goodness, love and strength!
DEAR LYNN In Loving Memory
DEAR LYNN Dear Lynn,
From Gail “Lil Lillie” James, With Love
Recently, Rodd, Sheldon, Cherylle, and I were on WhatsApp commenting about one of your varied facial expressions. There were moments without looking at you that I instinctively knew what your face was saying. I would then say, “Eldine stop it! You would begin to chuckle and innocently reply, “What? I didn’t say a word.” And truth be told you didn’t have to. The lyrics from a Rude Boys song was my standard retort. “It’s written all over your face. You don’t have to say a word!” ”You gave real meaning to the phrase, “If looks could kill.” LOL! During that same WhatsApp exchange, Rodd ended by saying, “she didn’t let many folks in, but if she did, you were in.” His words reminded me of a conversation I had with my mom many years ago. As a young girl I noticed that mom, (Lillie as we called her ) knew a lot of people, so one day I exclaimed, “Lillie, you have a lot of friends!” She replied,” I have many acquaintances, several associates, but very few friends. Everyone is not your friend. You will learn this one day. Just keep living.” These words would later help me to analyze and then categorize relationships to determine who got to hold a space at stage three - friendship. We became acquainted as sixth graders attending Smart Pope Livingston Elementary School. We noticed that our parents went school shopping at the
From Gail “Lil Lillie” James, With Love same store, Sears, Roebuck, and Company, as we had several of the same outfits which were often worn on the same day. Yes, we were fashion twins. We became associates as tenth graders at the new magnet school in the city, Stanton College Preparatory School. And yes on occasion, we were fashion “twinsies” again. Those high school years were filled with many memories that I cherish. I get so tickled when I recall our many points of just plain silliness. Today, as I reflect and write , I understand how each of those moments were blocks used to build our pyramid of trust . You began lowering your shield and before long I was “IN.” I had made it to level 3; we were F RIENDS! Being your friend helped me be a better friend to others. You are the reason I coined the phrase, “ I can get along with anyone once I learn your ways.” Some days I would see you walk into the school yard. If those arms were folded AND you had one of “those expressions” on your face, that meant don’t talk to me right now; give me a minute. I learned to wait and when you were ready, you would talk, and the “clowning would commence!” After high school, we had many Lucy and Ethel moments as we toured Jacksonville in your brand new white Ford Escort. This was the BEST CAR EVER! It's air conditioning system was engaged by winding down the two front windows. There were many times I think we troubled God needlessly to please let the traffic lights stay green. We needed to keep rolling so that the breeze would keep blowing! LOL! Like you, the ponytail became my hairdo of choice. Otherwise, we were sure to have the unwanted wind-swept look.
From Gail “Lil Lillie” James, With Love Girl! We rode everywhere together. Your driving would also become an indicator of your mood. I learned that the hard shift of those manual gears and the fast turn of a corner meant, “ not now give me a moment.” I would sit quietly and wait for the perfect moment to say something goofy in order to make you laugh. And like magic, it worked every-single-time. You would often quip, “leave me alone, I am hot! (The “AC” had not kicked in yet! LOL!!!) Really, I ignored your “moods.” I chalked it up to you being your silly self. While on the continual path of learning Eldine, self discovery was taking place. I realized that I was capable of giving unconditional love to the person who had become my SISTER. Yep, I was still “IN” and we leveled up again! With you as my sister, I gained Rodney as my brother. We were a rock solid trio! We were family! Where you two went, Gail was sure to be there. Rodney became the designated driver. He was such a gentleman. I remember how you would tease him about driving sooo slow. And with ALL of your dramatic flare, and in your Elzadie voice you would start rolling your head from side to side while demanding, “Move! Let me drive!” Oh Lord! You just drive so slow!” Despite your antics, he was not going to drive faster than 5 miles above the posted speed limit. Nevertheless, you have to admit that he was the best chauffeur ever! You know I could go on forever, but I will end here by saying, “Thank you for loving me unconditionally and for being my forever sister." I love you and miss you dearly.
DEAR LYNN Sister Cousin Love Dear Lynn, I have avoided writing this letter for as long as I could because it forces me to relive your untimely passing all over again. Ever since I can remember, you have always been a part of my life. I never knew who my biological cousin was - Rodney or you. You knew me before I knew me. I have such fond memories of trips to the beach, the movies, mall, etc. along with Rodney, Joey, Lisa, and baby Jessica in tow. I was so excited whenever Rodney and you would come and rescue Lisa and me from either Grandma or Aunt Irene’s house. I will never forget the one beach trip when Joey put the dead fish down Lisa’s bathing swimsuit. You tried your best to calm her down and all I could do was stand there and laugh. Thank you for being such an integral part of my childhood. It was at this early age that I learned the importance of family and why it was such a blessing to come from a large family. I remember taking a special trip to Jacksonville when you all decided to move to Phoenix, Arizona and I thought I would never see you all again. I was so sad to see you go even though we never lived in the city. I also believed I would never have the opportunity to really get to know Roddy and Evan because they were so young when y’all moved, but God knew better.
Sister Cousin Love Fast forward to the summer of 2005, I was afforded the opportunity to intern with PwC in the Phoenix office. Neither Rodney nor you hesitated in allowing me to live with you that summer. It was then that I had the opportunity to build a relationship and connection with Roddy and Evan and reconnect with Jessica. Thank you for opening your home to me and allowing me to meet the community of extended family and friends that you built in Phoenix. Thank you for ALWAYS supporting me. You were there for every special milestone in my life - high school graduation, college graduation, baby shower, etc. I will forever cherish the Thanksgivings spent in Orlando including our Disney trips with all the kids. I will always remember the last Disney trip when Claudia acted up so bad, you found a spot and didn’t move until we were ready to go. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. It wasn’t a coincidence that I ended up on a work project that would allow me to travel to San Antonio week to week in 2019. I am so grateful to have been able to spend so much time with everyone. Thank you for letting Averie stay with you and the girls for two weeks during the summer of 2019. I love seeing Jianna, Jules and Averie’s bond and relationship grow stronger each day. I cherish the memories of family dinners, birthday dinners and our nightly conversations. I will miss jumping in the bed with you after work and you looking at me sideways. I will miss our side text conversations based on topics in the family chat. I will miss your facial expressions and theatrics while I gave you updates on my life.
Sister Cousin Love Thank you for convincing my cousin to adopt Jianna and Juliana. You can never be replaced but all of us will do everything we can to support Rodney and the girls. It’s so ironic that the last time our family gathered for a special event was Jessica’s wedding
and the first time we would gather again
would be to lay you to rest. None of us could have predicted that a pandemic was on the horizon or that it would be the last time we saw your smiling face. Your untimely passing shook our entire family. We have encountered death but not like this. We are still in disbelief, but we serve a God who is too wise to make a mistake. We will stand on His word. We all have had to hold onto our faith through this process. Rodney, Jessica, Will, Rodney Jr., Evan, Mayra, and Claudia miss you so much. And I know you held Kairo in your arms before he graced us with his presence. We will inundate him with stories of his Gigi and Princess Claudia will fill in any gaps we inadvertently miss. Thank you for loving my brother cousin unconditionally. My heart breaks for him. I didn’t realize the depth of y’all’s connection until you passed. You were and will ALWAYS be the LOVE of his LIFE. Thank you for giving me five AMAZING cousins: Jessica, Rodney Jr., Evan, Jianna and Juliana (Jules). Thank you for constantly sacrificing your needs and wants for your family. As Jessica stated, you were the core that held the family together. We love you and miss you every day. Gone but never forgotten. Rest in Peace and Power my sister cousin All My Love, Davida Jones and Averie Marcus
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ELDINE'S FOR SURE... Eldine Washington really was the most humorous girl in our high school class! She is the friend you’d want to sit with in class or at lunch and especially at any kind of school assembly! Always laughing and cutting up and inviting everyone around her to join in! She was always coming up with funny nicknames for classmates and teachers! 😂 She is the friend who could say something hilarious but then turn around and smile and leave you laughing out loud and getting in trouble with a teacher. 😜
It was laughter at anyone’s cost at our lunch table. That’s just how we rolled - always laughing at something or someone. No one was left unscathed. And she had the best laugh!
Our friend passed away recently and the world seems a little less bright without her in it. I hadn’t seen her in years but I always knew if we did get to meet up, there would be some serious laughing going on! Please join me in praying for her husband and her children and grandchildren because they will miss her most of all.
The world needs more Eldine's in it for sure!
David Moore
THE ULTIMATE QUEEN OF COMEDY The opportunity to celebrate our Eldine AKA Lynn, Zadie or the ultimate “Queen of Comedy “ is a true blessing because it forces you to feel the laughter and joy as well as remember all of the times that you heard that cackle and simply joined in…
At 15 years old, we walked into a new adventure and it was the best decision of my life. Out of that decision, lifelong friendships blossomed that will forever shape my life. Lynn quickly gave me my nickname that sticks into my 55th year, Quilly aka Quildon, because of my hair magically sticking up like I’d been electrocuted. Just as that name remains for over 40 years, my love and appreciation for this amazing lady remains. I will never forget teasing her only to be met with her quick tongue and sharp whit, or the time we had senior skip day, or her and Rodney leading the crew to drive all the way to Ohio for my wedding, or ultimately as the years extended between visits, always knowing that Lynn and Rodney were always constants in my life no matter what phase of life I may have been in.
Today and everyday, I will always appreciate the power of humor as well as the power of true friendship that I experienced via Lynn and no matter where I find myself be able to remember that distinctive laugh and the joy that came whenever in her presence. Happy Birthday Queen and know that you will forever be loved and celebrated!
Sheldon D. Thomas
LOVING EXPRESSIONS While my relationship in later years with Eldine was an occasional response to a social media post, I remember her to be a combination of joyful, funny, loving and caring. She was the life of the conversation; full of funny comments that brought laughter to her friends. Know that she was loved. Know that it's a wonderful thing to remember everything positive about a person. She was an angel. And you guys have one of the best love stories ever! Robin Cox Eury SCPS C/O 84
From Renee Caldwell and family
Eldine and Rodney were good life partners with a real commitment to family. I just wish I could have spent more time getting to know who she really was! Given what she left us to see and touch, she was a great mom with a warm embracing spirit, and she will be missed Love, Thomas
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE: MISSING YOU
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE: KAIRO'S HERE!
TILL WE MEET AGAIN
May His peace be with you till we meet again May His peace be with you till we meet again Till we reach that distant shore And we'll shed a tear no more May He give you strength to endure Till we meet again May His love be with you till we meet again May His love be with you till we meet again Till we reach that promised land And we'll walk hand in hand May He give you strength to stand Till we meet again
Songwriter: Kirk Franklin Till We Meet Again lyrics © Lilly Mack Music