- Date Of Birth: May 30, 1937
- Date Of Death: August 21, 2022
- State: Mississippi
Lois W. Harper-Seals, a loving and caring woman of Laurel, MS, was born
to Ray and Rosie Marea Harvey-Harper on May 30, 1937 in Vossburg, MS.
Ms. Seals entered eternal rest on August 21, 2022. Her parents
predeceased her.
At the age of nine, she accepted Christ as her personal Savior and was
baptized at St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1862 by her
third great-grandfather, in Vossburg. Ms. Seals was a faithful and active
member of St. Paul United Methodist Church, Laurel, MS, for over fifty (50)
years. She served as church secretary, president of the United Methodist
Women, director of vacation Bible school, member of the choir, and served
on various committees and auxiliaries.
Ms. Seals, often referred to as Ms. Lois, was a beloved mother,
grandmother, aunt, sister, friend/mentor, and highly regarded civil-rights
advocate and community leader. At 16, she graduated from the historic
Harris High School, Meridian, MS, and pursued higher education at
Mississippi Valley State University before starting a family. She relentlessly
pushed all she encountered, especially her children and grandchildren, to
deliver their absolute best in school and in service to others.
Ms. Seals had many accomplishments over several decades. In the 1960s,
as a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church and under the pastorate
of Rev. Allen L. Johnson, she was instrumental in coordinating and
facilitating voter registration drives, often disguised as fish fries, across the
state of Mississippi during a time when it was dangerous for African
Americans. Additionally, she was key in working with local and federal
government officials to increase government-assisted housing for residents
of Laurel. Due to her efforts, she was selected to attend U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) training in Washington, DC, and
was subsequently selected to direct the newly established Price-Allen
Johnson Apartments, now named South Park Village, when very few
women held such a position. Following a successful career in community
housing, Ms. Seals successfully worked to establish and provide leadership
to the Queen Olive Head Start Center in Laurel, allowing her to influence
community advancement through education before relocating to
Hattiesburg, MS.
Ms. Seals will forever resonate in the hearts of her children, grandchildren,
great-grandchildren, siblings, and those whose lives she touched.
Endowed Scholarship for college students in need by check to:
Saint Elizabeth University
Office of Institutional Advancement
2 Convent Road
Morristown, NJ 07960
