Florence Lucille Stallworth was born August 27, 1924, in Cincinnati, Ohio to Thomas and Della R. Wilson (nee Lowe). She departed this life on May 5, 2020, in her home with loving family surrounding her.
Lucille was the seventh of nine children born to the union of Thomas and Della R. Wilson. Her parents and siblings have preceded her in death. Lucille was joined in holy matrimony to Everson Stallworth on October 21, 1941. In 1958, he preceded her in death. Their daughter Inga Stallworth preceded Lucille in death in 2009.
Left to mourn Lucille’s passing and to celebrate her life are many family and friends. She leaves her five remaining children: Minister Michael Stallworth, Sr. (Mary), the Retired Judge and Minister Cheryl D. Grant (Claude Audley), Dr. Babette Plummer Craig (Melvin), Mrs. Kimberly Stallworth (Ralph), and Mr. Deron Malik Hassan Bey (Teisha Stallworth).
She leaves to mourn her passing and celebrate her life; eight grandchildren, Michael Stallworth, Jr. (Angela), Theresa Hamilton (Johnny), Asad Saeed Ali (Porsche Cox), Everson Stallworth, Sr. (Courtney), Cleon R. Plummer, Sr. (Shannon), Ahmed K. Plummer (Tiffany), Daniel Stallworth, Sr., and Jamahl Stallworth, Sr.; ten great grandsons; ten great granddaughters; two great-great grandchildren; her brother-in-law, Herbert Mitchell; many nieces, (special Mom to nieces Pamela, Bernadette, Marcia, Jeannette, Jackie (deceased), Gail (deceased), nephews, cousins, friends, and close friends, Etta (deceased), Mary (deceased), Nancy, Sarah, Daphne, and Nikki.
When Everson, her husband, became sick and was no longer able to work, Lucille obtained employment with the Continental Baking Company, formerly named Hostess Cupcake. She began working as a “wrapper” at Hostess in October of 1955 and retired from Hostess in 1989. She was a good and strong worker in a petite body frame. She often performed heavy labor in her job position.
She was presented with special awards and acknowledgements during her tenure at Hostess. One of the awards was “The Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers International Union 25 Year Membership Award”.
The award, along with a 25-year-membership pin, noted that she was a “faithful and consistent” member of the organization. Besides performing well at her workplace, she was affectionately known as the “cupcake lady” in her Evanston neighborhood because she provided Hostess cupcakes to the neighborhood children.
Lucille accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, circa 1931, and was baptized at Zion Baptist Church, on Ninth Street, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She maintained her membership at Zion until the time of her death. In Lucille’s younger years at Zion, she sang in the church choir. Now, Lucille claimed that she could not sing. She even stated that she and her best friend Mary were put out of the choir for this very reason.
Lucille’s workdays at Hostess generally included Sunday. Though she could not regularly attend Sunday morning services, she would attend Zion’s evening service. Lucille made sure that her children attended Sunday School and church services with the help of family and friends. All of her children and some of her grandchildren were baptized at Zion.
Lucille loved the Lord. She worshipped the Lord not only at church but also in her home. Regularly, she played her “church music” while performing household chores. Often, one could catch her singing “How Great Thou Art” in her home. She was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. During her many challenges in life, she always called upon the Lord in prayer for strength, direction, and comfort. In her celebrations, she faithfully expressed gratitude to God, our Father. She was a wise and humble woman. She was playful. She was colorful. Her smile and laughter would light up the room. She honored God in the way she lived and loved others. She was not only the best mother for which one could have but also the friend that one would want by one’s side.