Mattie J. Lewis

“As Long as the Grass Grows Around the Tree Stump…” On April 2, 2013, MATTIE ELIZABETH JENNINGS LEWIS unexpectedly departed this life after a brief stay at Sinai Hospital. The daughter of the late Esther and Gabriel Jennings, Mattie was born on December 11, 1926 in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents, having both been previously married to others and bearing two separate sets of children, produced yet a third set of children, adding another five to the eight already in place. Among this third set of children, Mattie was second oldest of that lot. Reared in East Baltimore in the 1000 block of Bond Street, within the shadows of this very church, she flourished. Surrounded by a squad of siblings who loved and adored her as much as she them, Mattie enjoyed the benefits of an unceasing supply of love and affection. Despite the baker’s dozen of brothers and sisters, neither she nor her siblings were in want of attention. Her parents -- despite their modest means — managed to rear her and the rest of their family members with unbridled Chrisitian devotion, a strong spiritual base, an uncompromised love for all and an unselfish offering of kindness and good deeds toward others. Like many who grew up in East Baltimore, she eventually found Paul Laurence Dunbar High School a community gathering place where neighborhood children convened. At Dunbar especially, she forged a regiment of loyal and dedicated friends who have stood the test of time for more than seven decades. After receiving her diploma from Dunbar, she started her work career. Her first job was at the telephone company. Later she joined Sinai Hospital where she retired as Print Shop Supervisor after forty years of faithful service. Just like all of her siblings, Faith Baptist Church nourished her spirituality. A life long member, Mattie gave more than seven decades of great service to the church. Serving as the first President of the Simon Williamson Memorial Choir, leading the church’s Girl Scout Troop and participating in Summer Vacation Bible School were among just a sampling of her many church service contributions. She also was a member of various civic and social groups including the “Friday Niters” and “Chummy Chums.” Her ascent to adulthood included both marriage and motherhood. In 1949, she married Lee Lewis and the two produced one child, Kenneth Lee Lewis in 1950. While her marriage did not continue, she thrived as a mother, guiding her son down the same paths of hope and promise given to her. She relentlessly pursued excellence. She didn’t abide those who failed to put forth an effort. She was not willing to accept anyone’s second best. As such she generated a “can do” spirit that was notoriously contagious. In rearing her son, she readily introduced him to the qualities of courage and fortitude which enabled her to meet her own personal list of life’s challenges without flinching. Her status as a forty-plus year mastectomy breast cancer survivor is testament to her strength of spirit and character. She encouraged him to embrace these qualities. She not only infused these in him but also among his own friends — a countless set of crew members, both male and female who to this day still call her “Mom Mattie” or “Miss Mattie.” Resourceful and positve, she never let what she didn’t have slow down what she had to do. Inspite of not having ever secured a driver’s license or driven a car in her eighty-six years, she regularly managed to arrange transportation for scores of park and beach outings for neighborhood children. Mattie had no other “beat” but upbeat. Each time she entered a room she brought the unvarnished kindness, joy and laughter of her heart. She set the gold standard for friendship. Her circle of friends was without bounds. Her winning personality and sincere concern for others won over folks from every walk of life, securing for her a cadre of close friends whose relationships earned them titles of “aunts” and “uncles.” A good portion of her life’s journey she shared with her special friend and companion, Wendell Dixon who took her everywhere she wanted to go. For over thirty years, Mattie and Wendell walked that path together with uninterrupted love and devotion. Generous without limits, she shared whatever she had, never wanting to see others want or need anything. Cooking for family (one of her favorite pastimes) meant there was always something extra in the pot for anybody who dropped by for a bite. Recently, her unmatched sense of duty to help others exhibited itself when she and her sister Thelma spent nearly six months in Detroit, helping to nurse her son to a better state of health. At the time of her death, she resided in the New Shiloh Village Senior Housing Complex where she religiously checked on her fellow tenants. Her untimely passing has brought both sadness and joy. Losing the steady diet of her loving spirit of course brings the painful ache of sorrow, but for those of us left to mourn, we can find joy in the multitude of memories shining light on her brilliant life — a life well worth celebrating. She now joins those siblings who predeceased her: sisters, Esther Julia Edwards, Denzimore Jennings, Annabelle Sturdivant, Mabel Jennings, Viola Carter and Aretha J. Mayo; as well as brothers, Clifton Edwards, Charles Edwards, Alvin Edwards and Lawrence Jennings. She leaves to mourn: her one son, Kenneth Lee Lewis (Linda D. Streeter); grandchildren, Bradford (BJ) Lewis, Zuri Lewis and Myles Lewis; sisters, Beulah Lang and Thelma Erwin; sisters- in-law, Alma Edwards and Louise Edwards; nephews, Raymond Erwin, Arnold Jerome Jennings and Kevin Sullivan among others; nieces, Benita Edwards Wilson, Jacqueline Lang, Aretha J. Ector (Jeffery Ector) and Jessie Taylor; step-children, Cynthia Lewis and Gary Lewis; great-nieces and great-nephew, Jada Ector, Alexis Green and Dallas Ector; her special friend and companion, Wendell Dixon; and many other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Mattie J. Lewis

December 11, 1926 - April 2, 2013