Eula Mae Lewis

EULA MAE (DEBRO) LEWIS, age 84, was born in Nashville, North Carolina (Nash County). The last time she traveled to NC was in 2009 when her father passed. Her parents, Mary Lucille Leonard Debro and William Henry Debro preceded her in death. Eula Mae departed this life peacefully on July 25, 2024, at Northwest Hospital in Baltimore County, MD. Eula Mae was educated in the Nash County, NC Public School System. After having to work on a farm, she dropped out of school in the 6th grade. She was the 4th oldest of 14 siblings- 6 sisters (Ora Lee, Flossie, Mildred, Millie, Ernestine, Josephine) and 7 brothers (William Jr., James, Thomas, Arthur, Thurman, Robert, Morris). Ten siblings preceded her in death. As a young lady, Eula Mae accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. While growing up in NC, she faithfully attended Sunday School Service at St. Delight Baptist Church, which was close to the family home. On Sunday evenings she and the family would also attend service at Pleasure Hill Baptist Church where she was a faithful member until she moved to Baltimore City, MD. Once in MD she joined New Fellowship Christian Community Church, then under the leadership of the late Bishop Kevin Rogers. Eula Mae was a member of the church’s Missionary and Outreach Center organizations. On Saturday mornings, she looked forward to helping those in need within the community. This was also the time when she listened to what she called, “the juicy gossip,” and ate Brother Ralph’s soul food meals. She remained a faithful member of the church until her health started failing. Eula Mae held numerous jobs during her time. She cooked in restaurants, especially those good old sweet potato pies that the family will now miss. She enjoyed sewing her clothes and working on production at Polan & Katz Umbrella Factory until it closed for good. Her daughters had enough umbrellas to match their outfits whenever it rained. Wouldn’t you agree, what a Blessing that was! That type of work also contributed to her crippling arthritis of the hands. Eula Mae enjoyed watching the soap operas with David Lee and her sister, Tine. When a news special came on in place of the shows, boy did she fuss at the tv. Eula Mae enjoyed playing checkers, Dominos and watching her Westerns with David Lee. You would think she won a million bucks whenever someone won big time on “Price is Right.” In October 1958, Eula Mae married Huddie Massenburg who preceded her in death. From that union two daughters, Shirley and Dorothy, along with two sons, Huddie Jr. (aka Cracker Jack) and McArthur Sr. were born. In 1967, Eula Mae moved her family to Baltimore. From that time on, Eula Mae and David Lee had what his sister Elnora referred to as a “revolving relationship.” Well, on 5/10/1991, Eula Mae and David Lee were finally married. Mae then gained 3 stepchildren, Shirley, Danny and Deborah (who preceded her in death). Eula Mae and David Lee spent most of their years together while living on Cottage Avenue in Baltimore. Eula Mae resided in that same home for 51 years and with the same land line phone number. Their home was the home away from home for family members near and far. Due to safety concerns for their health and well-being, it was a family decision that Mae and David Lee had to move out of that home. According to Ernestine, her sister Mae would occasionally say to her, “If I could move my house on the Moon, I would live on the Moon.” That was a sad day in Shirley and Dorothy’s life, watching McArthur Sr. and Jr. assist their mother for the last time down those 12 outside, concrete front steps. Mae leaves to cherish her memory: Her beloved husband of 33 years, David Lee Lewis, daughters, Shirley Dean-Johnson and Dorothy Foster of Baltimore County, MD, stepdaughter, Shirley Bines of SC, son, McArthur Massenburg of Baltimore County, MD, stepson, Danny Lewis of NC, maternal grandchildren, Lakeshia, David, McArthur Jr. Terence, Delvin, ALL of Baltimore; maternal great-grandchildren, Jayda, Jayden, Kailani, Tyreke, and godson, Brandon Paige, ALL of Baltimore; two sisters, Ernestine Debro of Baltimore, Josephine Whitehead (Alvin) of Nashville, NC., brother, Thomas Debro of Nashville, NC, aunts, Rosa Turner of Richmond, VA and Millie Debro of Louisburg, NC, uncle, Vernon Leonard of NC, 3 sisters-in-law, Elnora Lewis, Ernestine Johnson (Otis), and Diane Evans (Prince) all of NC, brothers-in-law-Henry Russell Lewis (MaeBell) and Milton Lewis of NC, a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and close friends.

Tributes

Eula Mae Lewis

February 21, 1940 - July 25, 2024