Elvin Gertrude Anna Myers

ELVIN GERTRUDE ANNA GAINES MYERS, widow of the late Charles Julian Myers, was born in the Town of Rice in Prince Edward County, Virginia in her grandmother Georgiana Brown Hicks’ home on July 20, 1937, to the late Thomas S. Gaines and Venona Elvin Hicks. Elvin was lovingly and spiritually raised on the family’s farm and cared for and protected by a large family of uncles, aunts, and cousins. Following her father’s death, her mother, Venona, was united in marriage to the late Samuel Adam Howze, Sr. Elvin was dotingly loved by her Daddy, Samuel, and deeply revered and looked up to by her younger siblings, Joan Constance, Samuel Adam, Jr., Harriott Clinton (deceased) and Warren Julius. Elvin, known as Tuts, grew up in the Monroe Baptist Church in Prince Edward County and was baptized at an early age in the Sandy River. Tuts attended the Hubbard Elementary School in Rice and Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia from which she graduated in May 1953. In April 1951, Tuts was a 10th grader and part of the student body that walked out of school and went on a lengthy strike to protest decrepit conditions at their high school. The protest in 1951 at Robert Moton led to a lawsuit against Prince Edward County that ultimately was decided by the United States Supreme Court in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. The Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated schools were unequal and unconstitutional. In May 1959 in response to this decision, Prince Edward County closed its public schools for five years, denying educational opportunities to many of Tuts’ cousins who were forced to leave Prince Edward County to continue their education in Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, Patterson New Jersey, and elsewhere, leading Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to state in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 19, 1963: “The only places on earth not to provide free public education are communist China, North Vietnam, Sarawak, Singapore, British Honduras – and Prince Edward County, Virginia.” Prior to her passing, Tuts learned that a statue of Barbara Johns (pictured), the student leader of the Robert Moton high school protest, will soon replace the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the National Statuary Hall of 100 statues contributed by the 50 states. Tuts was overjoyed by this, saying “we came a long way baby”. Tuts and her mother often referred to Prince Edward County as “the toughest county in America’’. These early experiences with injustice shaped Tuts’ outlook on life. She was an active participant in activities to force change and improve the lives of Black people. She participated in voter registration and get out the vote activities leading to the election of Parren J. Mitchell as Maryland’s first Black Congressman. She was an active participant in the initial Baltimore movement to establish the United Health Care Workers Union, 1199E. Life Reflections of Elvin “Tuts” Meyers Tuts’ life work was about service to others. She attended the Community College of Baltimore where she was certified as a Geriatric Nursing Assistant. She also received training in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and Institutional Abuse Prevention. This training served her well during her time of employment with House in the Pine Nursing Center, the Parkhill Convalescent Home, and Gallagher Services - Catholic Charities - where she worked to support adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Family and family life was the center of Tuts’ joy. As youngsters, she and her siblings enjoyed all things music, attending shows at the Royal Theater, Carrs Beach, Club Astoria with Sonny Til and the Orioles, and Jazz at Club Casino, and Arch Social Club. Tuts, Joan, and Mother Venona often reminisced about going backstage at the Apollo Theater in New York City. Attending fourth Sunday in August church homecomings in Prince Edward County, and family reunions were sources of much delight. Baltimore Ravens football was her passion. Purple was her color. She watched the Young and the Restless and the Bold and the Beautiful from their inception. Tuts believed in being well informed and was known to read several newspapers daily - the Baltimore Sun, the New York Post, the New York Times, and USA Today. Consequently, she had no problems voicing her opinions, often prefacing her remarks, “In my opinion”. She even received a Recognition Award from the Household 3 Staff at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Hospital who cared lovingly for her, from August 2019, until her transition on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. The award was “Presented to Elvin Myers for Being Voted the Most Outspoken”. In March 1975 Tuts married her long-time friend, Charles Julian Myers. Together they enjoyed life at home together. They loved traveling in the mobile home van, and hosting and attending holiday gatherings with family and friends. She and Charles, an active member of the Left Bank Jazz Society, were music enthusiasts, and spent countless Sundays listening to the music of some of the world’s greatest musicians. One of Tuts’ favorite songs was “Only the Strong Survive” by Jerry Butler. Other favorites were “It is Well with My Soul”, and “Strange Fruit” and “God Bless the Child” by her favorite artist, Billie Holiday. In tribute to Billie Holiday, on occasion she wore a white flower in her hair. One of the greatest joys of Tuts’ life was her bonus family, gained by her marriage on March 19, 1975, to her beloved Charles Julian Myers. She adored her bonus daughter, Patricia Myers Fisher, her granddaughter, Trina Culbreath, and in her own words, “the love of my life”, her great-grandson, TJ, Tyrone Culbreath. In addition to her bonus daughter and grandchildren, Tuts is survived by her sister, Joan Smith; and her brothers, Samuel Howze Jr. and Warren Howze; her aunt, Mrs. Blanche Howze; her many nieces, nephews, and cousins, the porch people, and other relatives and friends - all who loved her dearly and know how special they were loved by Tuts. In thanksgiving for the life of our beloved Elvin Gaines Myers, “Into your hands dear Lord we commit her spirit”. To God be the glory for a life well lived and a soul well loved by all.

Tributes

Elvin Gertrude Anna Myers

July 20, 1937 - January 25, 2023