Geneva Adele Redd

Geneva Adele Redd went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, June 8, 2014. She was born on January 31,1915, to John and Kathleen Redd. She was preceded in death by parents and five siblings. She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Barbara B. Chapman, son-in-law Tyrone B. Chapman; sister, Virginia Redd Craig(Ray); foster sister, Ruth Venable; sister-in-law Severa Redd; and host of other relatives and friends; among them to devoted nieces,Catherine Hines- Smith (Gary) and Betty Redd. Geneva, as she would tell you to call her, was a daughter, sister, wife, auntie, and mother to her beloved daughter and friend to many. She said she only went to school for three years before she had to stop and help support her family. However, she was well read and very inquisitive. Oftentimes, one would find Geneva reading in one corner of a room and her daughter in another. Geneva loved her extended family and encouraged them to stick together. She lovingly, but firmly, helped raise her nieces, great-nieces, nephews, great nephews and other people's children. Baptized an early age, she grew up in the church. Though she loved to sing, she found her ministry in ushering which she did faithfully for over (30) thirty years. Sister Redd could always be counted on to bake a cake, pie or rolls for the August Revival or any other church activity when food was needed. Mrs. Redd loved people and have many good friends. They would sit around her kitchen table eating and laughing and talking about any and everything. Two longtime and special friends were Rosa Barksdale (deceased) and Pauline Hines. She continued meeting new people and making new friends when she met Savannah Davis(Caregiver), Catherine Mankin, Myra Waybright (Candy Lady), and Deborah Garner. Sometimes she felt well enough to attend St. Paul's Baptist Church with her daughter. She was accepted as a member of the Refiners and enjoyed her 98th birthday party with the seniors. Throughout her life, Geneva worked as a domestic and the cook. She had the respect of each of her employers though she was not a passive worker. Once, her 16-year-old daughter and girlfriend drove up very fast in an employer’s yard spinning gravel everywhere. The employer ran out yelling at the girls. Right behind him ran Geneva telling him loudly not to yell at her girls. Of course, after the encounter she reprimanded the girls for their driving. She loved her daughter and embraced her friends. Paulette Crewe and Selena Colbert were devoted. Geneva was a registered voter and encouraged others to go. She often took folk to the polls and was so happy when she could vote for a Black man for President. During the civil rights era, she was a supporter of her daughter and other youth who were marching for civil rights. To honor the memory of Ms. Geneva Redd, do an act of kindness for someone else without expecting anything in return.

Tributes

Geneva Adele Redd

January 31, 1915 - June 8, 2014