Willie Meadows-Warren

MEADOWS-WARREN, Mrs. Willie Marie - age 65, passed away, Thursday, May 3, 2012 peacefully on May 3, 2012 at William Beaumont Hospital in Troy from an extended illness. Family hour 6-8PM Monday May 7, 2012, from the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 268 N. Perry St. Funeral Service 11AM Friday, May 11, 2012 Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, Metropolis, Illinois 62960. Rev. Mark Chapman, officiating. Interment Oak Grove Cemetery. Mrs. Meadows-Warren will lie instate in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon funeral Home and may be viewed from 1-8PM Monday. Final Arrangements entrusted to Jackson Funeral Home, 311 W. 9th Street, Metropolis, Illinois 62960 Phone (618) 524-2811 Fax (618) 985-2893. Willie Marie Warren (Meadows), a beloved wife, mother, sister, cousin, and aunt, passed away peacefully at William Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Michigan on May 3, 2012. She was 65-years-old. Born in Round Knob, Illinois on April 24, 1947, Willie Marie was the youngest of seven children. Growing up she was known among her siblings and close relatives as smart, determined, disciplined and she displayed an unshakeable drive to succeed and accomplish her goals. As a young girl in the late 1950s she attended Jefferson Elementary School which transitioned into one of the first consolidated/integrated schools in Massac County Illinois where she was 1 of 2 African-American students, the other being her brother Roy. She excelled academically in writing and science. She also had an affinity towards music. After taking piano lessons for a number of years she ultimately became good enough to accompany the choir at Oakgrove Presbyterian church in Choate, IL. After graduating from Metropolis Community High School, Willie Marie continued to satisfy her hunger for education by attending the Draughon’s Business Institute in Paducah, Kentucky. There she obtained her Associate’s degree in Business Administration. After graduation she went on to work for Allied Chemical Corporation and became one of the first African-American women to work in the clerical staff of the personnel department. In 1969 she relocated to Pontiac, Michigan to seek independence and prosperity, following in the footsteps of her brothers, Roy and Orlander Meadows Jr. To celebrate she purchased a brand new blue 1970 Chevy Camaro. Eventually, she got hired as temp for General Motors (GM) doing clerical work and then later transitioned as a permanent full-time employee with the company working again in the personnel department. Two years after the birth of her daughter Stephanie in 1979, she went back to school and obtained a second Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Oakland Community College. After which she went on to work 8 years for The Oakland County of Michigan as a secretary. She was as helpful as she was positive. "I remember Willie as a helpful person, often putting the needs of others before her own," said her cousin Carolyn Kindle. "She was always so positive when everyone around her was so negative; she always encouraged us to stay optimistic." Because of her position at GM she had influence over those who were hired. "Willie was able to get me a job and one for my sisters," said her niece Nina "Toie" Turner. "She was a very good wife and mother," said Overdis, her husband of 35 years. At times she could be known for her honest and forthright way of speech that would always keep others on their toes – preferring to "tell it like it is" and not sugar coat things. Her hobbies included reading, watching "The Oprah Winfrey show", her favorite soap opera "The Young and the Restless" and enjoying anything made with chocolate. Willie Marie is survived by her husband, Overdis; daughter, Stephanie; and son, Justin Warren; step children, Roshanda Garcia (Warren) and Overdis Warren Jr; her three brothers, Charles, Roy (Pearlie) and Robert (Bertha) Meadows; and sister, Mable Kay Duffy; mother-in-law, Georgia B. Warren; sisters-in-law, Evelyn K. Humphrey, Shurle Lateef, Lynda M. Warren; and brother-in-law, Jordan L. (Mattie) Warren; including a host of other family members. Willie Marie was preceded in death by her parents, Orlander (Wilma) Meadows Sr.; sister, Phyllis Meadows; brother, Orlander Meadows Jr., father-in-law, Vasco Warren; and sister-in-law, Elsie M. Postell.

Willie Meadows-Warren

April 24, 1947 - May 3, 2012