DAVENPORT — Melverdia Ewing, 67, of Davenport, died Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, at home. Services in celebration of her life will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at Weerts Funeral Home, Kimberly at Jersey Ridge Road, Davenport, where her family will greet friends from 12:30 p.m. until time of service. Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Melverdia Phillips Ewing was born May 26, 1949, the eighth child of Roy and Alice Philips. Melverdia grew up on a farm in Widener, Arkansas, and at times, performed the duty as water boy to refresh those who worked in the fields picking cotton.
In school, Melverdia thrived scholastically maintaining A’s in all subject areas through high school graduation.
After leaving Arkansas at the age of 18 to move to Iowa where some of her other siblings had settled, Melverdia attended Palmer Junior College, earning an associate’s degree in general studies.
Melverdia worked in a retail grocery store to continue to save money for her continuing college education. She met a young man and after about a year-long courtship, became Mrs. Melverdia Ewing on Sept. 25, 1971. Four years later, they welcomed into the world their first child, Terra Evalin Ewing, who would be followed eight years later by a son, Julian Jamal (deceased) and two additional years later, a son, Walter Elliot.
Though Melverdia did not become a math teacher, she did become the only African American deli manager in the Quad-Cities and surrounding areas for Jewel Osco, where she worked for more than 30 years before retiring at the age of 55. As a deli manager, Melverdia took pride in her position and extended that passion by becoming a caterer.
Melverdia was a devout member of Progressive Baptist Church, where she served as an usher and usher board president, a Sunday school teacher, one-time superintendent and Christian education director, and also served as a member of the Media ministry. In addition to being an active member of the church, she studied her Bible and took classes over a three-year span to earn a certificate of theology, and shared her lessons learned with her daughter and others interested in learning more about the subject.
After retirement, Melverdia enjoyed her continuing service to the church, working part-time for a local company creating webpages, and, of course, she loved her social media and her games on the computer.
Melverdia will always be remembered to her family and friends for the kind actions she showed to anyone familiar or unfamiliar. Also, not concerned with someone’s label, she always kept it real and expressed how she felt if she felt a situation was not handled correctly.
Though officially her title may not have been teacher, because of who she was and what she did, many learned from her undeveloped teachings on God, love, forgiveness, steadfastness, and integrity.
Preceding her in death were her son, Julian; her parents; three brothers; and four sisters.
Left to continue are her husband, Walter H. Ewing; her daughter, Terra Ewing; son, Walter Elliot Ewing; granddaughters, Monisa Ruiz and Meliana Cassarino; four brothers; three sisters; a host of nieces and nephews; great-nieces and nephews; and great-greats along with cousins and friends and family from the Johnson, McDowell and Brown families.
Melverdia Phillips Ewing was born May 26, 1949, the eighth child of Roy and Alice Philips. Melverdia grew up on a farm in Widener, Arkansas, and at times, performed the duty as water boy to refresh those who worked in the fields picking cotton.
In school, Melverdia thrived scholastically maintaining A’s in all subject areas through high school graduation.
After leaving Arkansas at the age of 18 to move to Iowa where some of her other siblings had settled, Melverdia attended Palmer Junior College, earning an associate’s degree in general studies.
Melverdia worked in a retail grocery store to continue to save money for her continuing college education. She met a young man and after about a year-long courtship, became Mrs. Melverdia Ewing on Sept. 25, 1971. Four years later, they welcomed into the world their first child, Terra Evalin Ewing, who would be followed eight years later by a son, Julian Jamal (deceased) and two additional years later, a son, Walter Elliot.
Though Melverdia did not become a math teacher, she did become the only African American deli manager in the Quad-Cities and surrounding areas for Jewel Osco, where she worked for more than 30 years before retiring at the age of 55. As a deli manager, Melverdia took pride in her position and extended that passion by becoming a caterer.
Melverdia was a devout member of Progressive Baptist Church, where she served as an usher and usher board president, a Sunday school teacher, one-time superintendent and Christian education director, and also served as a member of the Media ministry. In addition to being an active member of the church, she studied her Bible and took classes over a three-year span to earn a certificate of theology, and shared her lessons learned with her daughter and others interested in learning more about the subject.
After retirement, Melverdia enjoyed her continuing service to the church, working part-time for a local company creating webpages, and, of course, she loved her social media and her games on the computer.
Melverdia will always be remembered to her family and friends for the kind actions she showed to anyone familiar or unfamiliar. Also, not concerned with someone’s label, she always kept it real and expressed how she felt if she felt a situation was not handled correctly.
Though officially her title may not have been teacher, because of who she was and what she did, many learned from her undeveloped teachings on God, love, forgiveness, steadfastness, and integrity.
Preceding her in death were her son, Julian; her parents; three brothers; and four sisters.
Left to continue are her husband, Walter H. Ewing; her daughter, Terra Ewing; son, Walter Elliot Ewing; granddaughters, Monisa Ruiz and Meliana Cassarino; four brothers; three sisters; a host of nieces and nephews; great-nieces and nephews; and great-greats along with cousins and friends and family from the Johnson, McDowell and Brown families.
DAVENPORT — Melverdia Ewing, 67, of Davenport, died Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, at home. Services in celebration of her life will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at Weerts Funeral Home, Kimberly at Jersey Ridge Road, Davenport, where her family will greet friends from 12:30 p.m. until time of service. Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Melverdia Phillips Ewing was born May 26, 1949, the eighth child of Roy and Alice Philips. Melverdia grew up on a farm in Widener, Arkansas, and at times, performed the duty as water boy to refresh those who worked in the fields picking cotton.
In school, Melverdia thrived scholastically maintaining A’s in all subject areas through high school graduation.
After leaving Arkansas at the age of 18 to move to Iowa where some of her other siblings had settled, Melverdia attended Palmer Junior College, earning an associate’s degree in general studies.
Melverdia worked in a retail grocery store to continue to save money for her continuing college education. She met a young man and after about a year-long courtship, became Mrs. Melverdia Ewing on Sept. 25, 1971. Four years later, they welcomed into the world their first child, Terra Evalin Ewing, who would be followed eight years later by a son, Julian Jamal (deceased) and two additional years later, a son, Walter Elliot.
Though Melverdia did not become a math teacher, she did become the only African American deli manager in the Quad-Cities and surrounding areas for Jewel Osco, where she worked for more than 30 years before retiring at the age of 55. As a deli manager, Melverdia took pride in her position and extended that passion by becoming a caterer.
Melverdia was a devout member of Progressive Baptist Church, where she served as an usher and usher board president, a Sunday school teacher, one-time superintendent and Christian education director, and also served as a member of the Media ministry. In addition to being an active member of the church, she studied her Bible and took classes over a three-year span to earn a certificate of theology, and shared her lessons learned with her daughter and others interested in learning more about the subject.
After retirement, Melverdia enjoyed her continuing service to the church, working part-time for a local company creating webpages, and, of course, she loved her social media and her games on the computer.
Melverdia will always be remembered to her family and friends for the kind actions she showed to anyone familiar or unfamiliar. Also, not concerned with someone’s label, she always kept it real and expressed how she felt if she felt a situation was not handled correctly.
Though officially her title may not have been teacher, because of who she was and what she did, many learned from her undeveloped teachings on God, love, forgiveness, steadfastness, and integrity.
Preceding her in death were her son, Julian; her parents; three brothers; and four sisters.
Left to continue are her husband, Walter H. Ewing; her daughter, Terra Ewing; son, Walter Elliot Ewing; granddaughters, Monisa Ruiz and Meliana Cassarino; four brothers; three sisters; a host of nieces and nephews; great-nieces and nephews; and great-greats along with cousins and friends and family from the Johnson, McDowell and Brown families.
Melverdia Phillips Ewing was born May 26, 1949, the eighth child of Roy and Alice Philips. Melverdia grew up on a farm in Widener, Arkansas, and at times, performed the duty as water boy to refresh those who worked in the fields picking cotton.
In school, Melverdia thrived scholastically maintaining A’s in all subject areas through high school graduation.
After leaving Arkansas at the age of 18 to move to Iowa where some of her other siblings had settled, Melverdia attended Palmer Junior College, earning an associate’s degree in general studies.
Melverdia worked in a retail grocery store to continue to save money for her continuing college education. She met a young man and after about a year-long courtship, became Mrs. Melverdia Ewing on Sept. 25, 1971. Four years later, they welcomed into the world their first child, Terra Evalin Ewing, who would be followed eight years later by a son, Julian Jamal (deceased) and two additional years later, a son, Walter Elliot.
Though Melverdia did not become a math teacher, she did become the only African American deli manager in the Quad-Cities and surrounding areas for Jewel Osco, where she worked for more than 30 years before retiring at the age of 55. As a deli manager, Melverdia took pride in her position and extended that passion by becoming a caterer.
Melverdia was a devout member of Progressive Baptist Church, where she served as an usher and usher board president, a Sunday school teacher, one-time superintendent and Christian education director, and also served as a member of the Media ministry. In addition to being an active member of the church, she studied her Bible and took classes over a three-year span to earn a certificate of theology, and shared her lessons learned with her daughter and others interested in learning more about the subject.
After retirement, Melverdia enjoyed her continuing service to the church, working part-time for a local company creating webpages, and, of course, she loved her social media and her games on the computer.
Melverdia will always be remembered to her family and friends for the kind actions she showed to anyone familiar or unfamiliar. Also, not concerned with someone’s label, she always kept it real and expressed how she felt if she felt a situation was not handled correctly.
Though officially her title may not have been teacher, because of who she was and what she did, many learned from her undeveloped teachings on God, love, forgiveness, steadfastness, and integrity.
Preceding her in death were her son, Julian; her parents; three brothers; and four sisters.
Left to continue are her husband, Walter H. Ewing; her daughter, Terra Ewing; son, Walter Elliot Ewing; granddaughters, Monisa Ruiz and Meliana Cassarino; four brothers; three sisters; a host of nieces and nephews; great-nieces and nephews; and great-greats along with cousins and friends and family from the Johnson, McDowell and Brown families.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
