When Willis Grant Lauderdale was born on July 29, 1904, in Franklin, Alabama, his father, Joseph, was 31 and his mother, Leathia, was 32. He was one of the earliest pioneers of Opa-Locka, arriving there before his second son was born in 1927. He farmed much of what would later become the urban sprawl of North Miami. He was married three times and had two sons and four daughters. He died on January 6, 1985, in Miami, Florida, at the age of 80, and was buried there.
When Willis Grant Lauderdale was born on July 29, 1904, in Franklin, Alabama, his father, Joseph, was 31 and his mother, Leathia, was 32. He was one of the earliest pioneers of Opa-Locka, arriving there before his second son was born in 1927. He farmed much of what would later become the urban sprawl of North Miami. He was married three times and had two sons and four daughters. He died on January 6, 1985, in Miami, Florida, at the age of 80, and was buried there.
