Hilda Romane Spriggs

HILDA ROMANE SPRIGGS (nee Lewis), the fifth of six children of the late Herbert Arthur and Georgiana Virginia Lewis (nee Thompson), was born on July 14, 1926 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Hilda died at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, Maryland on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 after a brief illness. The family moved to Baltimore, Maryland when Hilda was six years old and she received her early education in the Baltimore City Public School System graduating from Frederick Douglass High School. Hilda attended the former Morgan State College for three years and maintained a 3.5 average before leaving college to care for her sick mother. Education was important to Hilda. She attended the Cortez-Peters Secretarial School and took various courses, including dressmaking and tailoring, which proved to be valuable for her home businesses. As the first African American employed by the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles, Hilda climbed the ladder of success. She started as a junior clerk and after decades of service retired in the late 1980’s as a high level administrator. Hilda converted to Catholicism as a teenager and married the late Norman Michael Spriggs, II on April 21, 1943 in Baltimore. Hilda and Norman had four children, Norman III, LeVerna, Patrice, and Joseph. The family lived on Cold Spring Lane for many years until Hilda moved to Anne Arundel County, Maryland in the early 1980’s. The death of 27-year-od Norman III and the untimely death of 17-year-old Joseph devastated Hilda. Hilda’s spirituality, her daughters, mother, and companion, Milton S. Taylor, sustained her throughout these challenging times. Hilda adored her daughters. She said LeVerna (Babe) was “the sweetest person you’ve ever met” and her “demeanor never changed.” Patrice was a fun child, ‘always sweet and smiling.’ Hilda’s keen fashion sense and sewing expertise allowed her to make stylish outfits for her daughters. Hilda was an entrepreneur with side businesses to help support her family. She did alterations mostly for Baltimore City Public School teachers as well as for friends and family. As a savvy businesswoman, Hilda wisely invested her money and purchased rental properties in Maryland and North Carolina. Because of these investments, Hilda was able to live a comfortable life and assist family and others when needed. She was a longtime member of the Maryland Association of Equal Opportunity Personnel (MAEOP) and was proud of contributions the organization made to assist Black families in need of assistance such as food, clothing, school supplies, etc. Hilda was a firm supporter of the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore. Hilda Romane Lewis Spriggs leaves to cherish her memory: two devoted daughters, LeVerna Theresa Mallory of Glen Burnie, Maryland and Patrice Marie Bishop (John) of Baltimore, Maryland; three grandchildren, Norman Michael sprigs, III of Baltimore, Maryland, Charles Ober Mallory, III of San Leandro, California, and Adrian Jose Bond of Glen Burnie, Maryland ; five great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren; a loving 100-year-old aunt, Mrs. Valma Ruth Henson of Columbia, Maryland; her committed and caring soul mate, Milton S. Taylor; and a host of relatives and friends. Siblings who preceded Hilda in death: Russell, Lucius, Sarah Martha, Leslie Levi, and Theodore Calvin.

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Hilda Romane Spriggs

July 14, 1926 - August 17, 2011