- Date Of Birth: June 20, 1924
- Date Of Death: December 4, 2018
- State: New York
Thelma Beatrice Broddy (Broady) was born on June 20, 1924 in Fincastle, Virginia to Mary Campbell Broady and Frank Broady. Thelma was truly a blessing, for Mary had suffered through five still born babies before Thelma’s birth. Sadly, Thelma never knew her father who passed away when she was 4 months old. Her mother remarried when Thelma was 8 years old to a Mr. Charles Funn and the family settled in Richmond, Virginia. Thelma was doted on by her mother as an only child, so much so that Mary, who worked as a domestic, would never take a job unless the employer was willing to allow Thelma to live in the home with her.
The marriage to Charles Funn did not last but Thelma and her mom continued to live together as a team. Thelma attended Catholic schools and it was in high school that she caught the eye of Reuben Chambers. Mary was wary of any suitor who was interested in her only child, but Reuben was able to gain her acceptance and Thelma and Reuben were able to marry with her blessings on March 4, 1942. The couple settled in Washington, DC where their first child, Mary Frances was born. The family later moved to Detroit, Michigan when Reuben answered the call to serve his country in World War II. Reuben was stationed in California, so Thelma and Frances moved to New York where Reuben’s mother resided. Mary soon followed her daughter and granddaughter.
After Reuben was Honorably Discharged, the family grew with the births of Reuben II (nicknamed Junior), Bertreann and Dwight. The family settled in public housing in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and on Reuben’s insistence, Thelma was a stay at home mother. Reuben worked three jobs to guarantee that the family would be provided for. Thelma loved her role as a mom and her family was first and foremost in her heart. She also shared a bond with two women who would become her lifelong friends, Miss Gladys and Miss Cleo and the families became very close.
Six years after the arrival of their last child, Justine, Thelma and her family moved across the river to Brooklyn. After Justine started elementary school, Thelma took a part time job as a clerk at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Bank. She so impressed her bosses that they offered her an administrative assistant job with one of the bank officers. She excelled and loved her job and surprised herself at how good she was at it. She was forced to retire when the arthritis she suffered from hampered her ability to use public transportation.
Thelma continued to live a full life, enjoying being a mother grandmother and great grandmother. She also loved to cook, bake, knit and read mystery novels.
Thelma was a true matriarch who embraced that role with love and vigor. Her family was everything to her and she was the center.
She leaves behind her daughters, Bertreann and Justine, her grandsons, Reuben III, James Brown, Raheem Brown, Kyle Allman, Dwight Deloatch, Adrian Chambers; her granddaughters, Robin McClam and Lisa Spell; her granddaughters-in-law Cheryl Chambers, Cynthia Allman, Tammy Brown and Angela Centeno-Brown and 18 great-grandchildren and 21 great-great grandchildren.
Thelma is preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Reuben W. Chambers, her daughter Mary Frances Brown, her sons, Reuben W. Chambers II and Dwight Chambers and her mother Mary Campbell Funn (Nana Funn).
