- Date Of Birth: March 9, 1930
- Date Of Death: September 27, 2017
- State: Maryland
Madeleine Louise Morrison was born in Harlem, New York, on March 9, 1930, to Milton Eugene Sturrup, reputedly one of the first Black furriers in New York, and Mildred Celestina Farrington, an aspiring opera singer. She was the oldest of three children, her siblings being Milton Eugene and Edward Roland Sturrup, both of whom predeceased her in 1975 and 2003, respectively. The family moved to the Bronx in 1942 where she attended public schools, including the then exclusive all-girls school, Walton High School.
She was thrice married. From these unions sprang four sons, Frederick William Lumford, Jr., Barry Douglas Lumford, Michael Julian, and Lawrence Elliot Lumford. She bore three daughters, Phyllis Muhammad, Carla Joanne Lumford, and Marielle Victoria Turner.
As a child and throughout her life she loved reading and the pursuit of knowledge, and her homes always stored books on literature, religion, biology, and the behavioral sciences, alongside her favorite mysteries. Her enthusiasm for reading was matched by her love of music, especially classical music and opera, her love perhaps “inherited” from her opera-singing mother, her favorite singer of late being Placido Domingo. She appreciated the visual arts as well and at one time imagined a career as an interior designer.
For decades her professional life was dominated by her role as a postal service manager in New York’s main post office. While a single working mom, she sporadically attended community college, Hunter College, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and New York University, earning credits towards a degree she hoped would launch her in a career in science, her favorite subject in school.
It is only later in life after she relocated to Maryland and became a resident of Montgomery Village, that she finally achieved her dream of working in the medical field anda”at long lasta” earned her Certified Nursing Assistant license while in her seventies.
She was an avid churchgoing member, and at varying times became a member of the Usher Board and Gospel Choir at Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church, a choir member at Goshen United Methodist Church, and when able in her last years, an attendee at Covenant United Methodist Church in Montgomery Village. She resided in Montgomery Village for almost 20 years, her last residence being at Sunrise Senior Living in Montgomery Village.
She leaves behind to celebrate her passing her beloved children, Fred Jr., Phyllis, Barry, Carla, and Marielle; her grandchildren Clarence, Winona, Crystal, Cory, Craig, Christian, Khaliday, Gabrielle, and Michael Alexander; and her numerous great-grandchildren, Malia, Naima, Michael, Kashmir, Zakayla, Aseyyah, Jilani, Monica, Rose, Terrance, Amarii Barack, Diko Shakira, Seckou Ezra, Seraphina, and Cosima Elle. She also leaves nieces and nephews, Stephanie Lynn Sturrup, Tina Louise Johnson, Khary Eugene Sturrup, and Diallo Roland Sturrup; and numerous grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins.
Her family and friends loved her dearly and will miss her inspiration and her enthusiasm for life and learning. We will celebrate her life on Saturday, October 7, 2017, at Covenant United Methodist Church, 20301 Pleasant Ridge Drive, in Montgomery Village, Pastor Amanda Sayers presiding.
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