Elmore Chavis

ELMORE “BULLY” CHAVIS was the third youngest of seven children born to Ulish and Flossie Chavis. All of his brothers and sisters preceded him in death except his youngest sister Flossie Marie McLaughlin. Elmore was born in Oxford, North Carolina on April 29, 1925. During the 1950’s when many African Americans were moving from the farms in the South and migrating North, Elmore decided to make the trip too. He made a brief stop in Virginia to visit one of his sisters, Lorean Downey, who had just had a baby. That baby girl was his niece, Rose. And he never let her forget that he was the one who named her. He continued North after staying in Virginia for a while and settled in Baltimore where he met and married the love of his life, Esther Faye McGoins. He would tell Rose that he had to go to Fairfield to meet his soon-to-be wife. Elmore and Esther had been married for fifty-two years. As much as Elmore loved children, he never had any biological children; but he did help raise his two stepsons, David (deceased) and Robert Grandberry. When the farmer Elmore moved to Baltimore, he brought all his farming skills with him. Every spring, Elmore would plant a garden of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and string beans in his back yard. He would give the majority of what he planted away to family and neighbors. In the 1960’s, he got an award for the most beautiful and colorful flower arrangements in his front yard. He was very proud of the acknowledgement in the local newspaper. Elmore retired from the Baltimore County school system as a custodian after nineteen years of service. After his wife, Esther’s death, one of his nieces, Margie Handy, who had become the matriarch of the family started helping him. When Margie passed, his niece Rose started looking out for him. With Rose’s deep love for history, Elmore became one history lesson after another for her. He could remember people’s names and events that happened in Oxford, North Carolina back in the 1930’s and 40’s. He was a walking history book. Aside from the history that Rose learned from Elmore, she learned his love for others and how he would do anything that he could for others. That’s who he was. Elmore had been a member of Calvary Baptist Church for years. When he got to the point where he could not attend services any longer, he would watch the services faithfully all day on Sundays. He always had his Bible next to his recliner so he could read the Scriptures that were announced. He liked to brag about his pastor, Dr. Stephen Russell and his preaching. He would often get calls from members of the church to check on him and see how he was doing. Elmore leaves to cherish his memory: a stepson, Robert Grandberry; sister, Marie McLaughlin; four nieces, Rose Douglas (Donald), Darlene Gibson (Erskine), Leslie Brown, Yolanda Davis (Melvin); nephew, Melvin Chavis Jr.; beloved great nephew, Micheal Walker (Lynne), several great nephews and great nieces, great-great nieces and nephews and great-great-great nieces and nephews.

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Elmore Chavis

April 29, 1925 - January 15, 2024