Mrs. Gency Mae Black

BLACK, Mrs. Gency - Age 97, passed away Monday, June 19, 2023 at her residence. Family hour 10:00 AM Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at St. Paul Baptist Church, 2115 Coldwater Rd., with funeral service commencing at 11:00 AM. Pastor Michael Pettigrew, officiating. Interment Gracelawn Cemetery, 5710 N. Saginaw St. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the church 10:00 AM Tuesday. Mrs. Black will lie in state in the chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd. and may be viewed from 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM Monday. Mother Gency Mae Black was born August 25, 1925 in Natchez, Alabama. She was the beloved daughter of the late Jodie Millender and Willie Odom. Mother Black resided in Beatrice, Alabama and confessed Christ at an early age, where she united with New Purchase CME Church. She was a dedicated member, participating in numerous ministries. Mother Black was blessed with an abundance of gifts and talents. She was a seamstress, an upholsterer and provided catering services to many. She was a melodious singer, and two of her favorite songs were, Precious Lord and I Won’t Complain. Mother Black was a member of The Freedom Quilting Bee in Lower Peachtree, Alabama which was started in 1966 and was created by African American women as a battle for economic survival during the civil rights movement, all while raising her children. Some of their quilts were displayed in the Smithsonian Institution and sold in The Washington Mall during the 1960s and ‘70s. Mother Black was a founding member and the lead singer of The Gospel Harmonettes Quintet in Beatrice, Alabama. She was also an active member of the NAACP and was very involved in the Civil Rights Movement. She protested in The March on Washington in 1963, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous, I Have A Dream Speech, as well as, The Selma to Montgomery March across The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965. In 1975, Mother Black relocated to Flint, Michigan and united with The Antioch Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. L.W. Pryor, Dr. Lewis Randolph and Rev. Christopher Taylor. Most recently, Mother Black was under “watch care” at St. Paul Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Michael Pettigrew. Mother Black was a devoted Christian lady who loved the Lord and her fellowman. She was involved in many ministries which included: Sunday School, Bible Study, the Mass Choir, Choir #2, Senior Choir, The Floral Club, Pastors Aide, the Mother’s Board, The Esther Circle and Director of the Culinary Ministry. All who had the privilege of indulging in her food would agree that it was very delicious! Some of her specialties were fried chicken, cornbread dressing, collard greens, pound cake and oxtails. Mother Black was the oldest member of The Flint City Wide Choir and had been a member since its inception in 2003. Mother Black was a faithful, generous, devoted and loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, mentor and friend to many. Her hobbies were shopping, traveling the world, bowling with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, cooking, sewing and spending time with family and friends. Mother Gency Black leaves to cherish her memory: 4 sons, Joseph King of Flint, MI, George (Shirley) King of Beatrice, AL, Prince (Karen) Black of Lancaster, SC, and James (Alice) Black of Prosper, TX; 6 daughters, Sherra King, Dianne King, Linda Black-Turner, Jodie “Loretta” Black, Cynthia (Minister Charles) Clarke Sr. all of Flint, MI, and Dorothy Black of Glenn Heights, TX; and 3 daughter-in-laws Rose King, Lyndia Black both of Flint, MI and Sharen Black of Myrtle Beach, SC, ; 50 grandchildren, 68 great-grandchildren and 25 great-great grandchildren. She had many adopted children and grand children that are too numerous to name as well as very special relative Tyrone Hicks Sr. and close friends. Mother Black was preceded in death by her father Willie Odom, mother Jodie Millender, sister Erma Lee Pryor, four sons Harris (Don) King, Thomas Black, Harold Black and Bill King; grandson Andre King.

Mrs. Gency Mae Black

August 25, 1925 - June 19, 2023