- Date Of Birth: September 8, 1920
- Date Of Death: May 26, 2015
- State: Alabama
Early in the morning on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, Ethel Rosetta Olds left her earthly body and rose to her home in heaven. Not too long ago, she said that in a dream, her beloved husband Sanders said that there was a place prepared for her. She had a long, wonderful life, but she was tired. She was ready to join her loved ones and her eternal Father, and looked back over the richness of her life before taking the next step on her journey.
Ethel was born on September 8, 1920 on Trinity Mountain, near Decatur, Alabama to Exum and Curlee (Alexander) Lile, the third of their seven children. She remembered her dear parents, and her siblings, with whom she remained very close throughout their entire lives.
Her love of music and singing was a constant comfort for her; she sang alto with the Decatur Bronze Singers. She fondly remembered frequenting a local establishment where she’d often dance to songs like “The Dipsy Doodle.” It was there that she met Sanders Olds, whom she married on March 24, 1938. Their union produced their precious children, Sanders Jr., and Sylvia.
In the 1950s, the Olds family relocated to Elyria, Ohio. In the 30 years she lived there, Ethel worked at Bendix Westinghouse and also as a domestic worker for Richard and Agnes Perry, Max Suppes, Dr. Richard Moore, and Dr. Leonard Payner. Ethel was an enthusiastic and devoted member of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, where she sang with the Gospel Choir, served as an usher and was a member of the Deaconess Board and Stewardess Board. Bingo and bowling were her favorite hobbies. After Ethel and Sanders retired back to Decatur in 1981, she remained an active member of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, and, later, Garner Memorial CME Church.
Ethel was preceded in death by her parents and her step-mother Grace Lyle; her brothers Richard Lyle, Benjamin Lyle, Percy Lyle, and Exum Lyle, Jr.; her sisters Cora Garner and Novella Gibson; her husband of 58 years, Sanders; and her son, Sanders Jr. Left behind to cherish her memory and legacy are: daughter and son-in-law Sylvia and John Mand of Burlington, NC; grandchildren Karlos Olds, LaNita Olds, Lisa Olds, Eboni (Eric) Johnson, Erich Francis, Vaughn Francis, Kohy Washington, and Joshua (Nathalie) Mand; great-grandchildren: nieces Jannie Billingsley, Phyllis Brown, Julia Gurley, Curley Young, Teresa Willard, and Vickie Langford ; nephews Percy Garner, Rev. Charles Lyle, Benjamin Lyle, Exum Lyle III; Anthony Lyle, L.C. Lyle, and Percy King ; and a host of other family, friends and loved ones.
We cry but we do not mourn; we rejoice in knowing that our Ethel is at peace.
