Willa Mae Bolden

Willa Mae Bolden Obituary

I am “Fair to middlin”.

Willa Mae Bolden (also known as Tumpsey and Willa) was born in Cincinnati, OH on May 3, 1925, to William and Eva Dixon. She grew up in Walnut Hills, attended Windsor Elementary School and graduated from Woodward High School in 1943. Afterwards, she worked at RCA and later, US Playing Cards. In 1986, she received her certification in venous duplex imaging from Good Samaritan Hospital and pursued her career as a certified phlebotomist for Deaconess Hospital until she retired. She accepted Christ as her Lord and savior and joined Calvary United Methodist Church, where she remained a faithful and active member until its closure.

Willa was naturally the life of the party. She brightened every room she entered and commanded attention with her fashion and bold attitude. She knew no strangers. Much of her leisure time was spent traveling, participating in Shriner activities and functions, playing cards, working and completing jigsaw and crossword puzzles. She also enjoyed having family fun.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a century to make someone like Willa. Passing away at 100 years old, she lived through segregation, integration, 4 wars, a landing on the moon, the invention of the internet, and everything in between. She was the matriarch that shaped our family’s history. Willa was a pillar of strength, forged in a time that demanded grit…not agreement; a time that required resilience, discipline and determination to be successful spite any barriers systematically placed. She was never stuck in the past. She embraced diversity and the grind it took to succeed and lay a steady foundation for those she loved, her family. She achieved this with a curious spirit and sharp wit.

Some of her successes include recognition for her leadership and stewardship from Ohio State University and the Greater Cincinnati Labor Education Center, recognition for her service to the Lakota boys and girls club and Father Flanagan’s Boy’s Home; being recognized for her commitment and support in the battle against cancer by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, serving as president of the May-Boone Street Block Club, and being a formidable active member of the Walnut Hills Community Council. Last but not least, she was featured in the Cincinnati Enquire as an “Unsung Heroines”.

Willa fought a great fight. She can rest now, she earned it. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Eva Dixon, her life-long partner William Green “Big Willie”, her son, Howard Dixon (Spooky) (Renee) and her siblings Wiley, Isiah, Cecil, Harry, Howard, Diana Veatrice, Robert, William and Eva. She leaves to cherish her memory: her grandchildren Lisa Youngblood (Randall Mitchell), Lionrick Bolar (Roslyn Bolar), Rhea Posey and Joshua Brandy, 4 great grandchildren, cousin James Clark (also known as Jimmy) and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

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