Theola Lee

Our beloved Theola Lee, was born on May 17th, 1930, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the late Mamie Walton-Jones and Curley Medlock. She was one of five children born to this union.

She passed away on September 24, 2021, at the Germantown Home in Philadelphia after 92 years full of travel, church, and family. Sis, as she was affectionately known, spent the remainder of her early childhood in foster care along with her siblings, and after nearly thirty- five years of separation were reunited.

Educated in the Philadelphia public school system, Theola worked at the Defense Logistics Agency of the United States Government at the Quartermasters for over 25 years, earning over ten employee awards and recognition during her years of her employment.

On September 16, 1948, Theola married the late Gilbert Bernard Lee, Jr. and had the luxury of enjoying forty-three years of marriage, and together lovingly raised their remaining three children, Cleveland, Bernard, and Brenda in Paschall, a tightknit African American community located in southwest Philadelphia. She knew about every family in her community, especially their children, because her house was where many gathered to play and hang out.

She accepted Christ as her savior and spent much of her life dedicated to her family and beloved community church, the First Baptist Church of Paschall. Always adorned in her meticulous suits, dresses, fur coats, and hats she served her church on Women's Day events, the choir, and other religious events and meetings. Her dedication to her church like her job earned her awards, certificates, and top recognition. She genuinely enjoyed the friendship and love of her church family, and they reciprocated in return.

Theola loved cooking holiday dinners for her family and traveling on cruise ships, attending Lee family reunions, and of course, her Atlantic City Vacations with her husband Gilbert. In addition, she loved and adored her grandchildren, family, and backyard barbecues.

She was preceded in death by her husband Gilbert B. Lee Jr. her sons Cleveland, Gilbert Tony, and daughter Brenda, her daughter-in-law Florita Bailey, sisters Helena, Marion, Aretha and her in-laws Beverly, Alice, Delores, John Horace, Fanny, Jenny, and Miles, who she dearly missed.

Theola is survived by her son Bernard Lee, Esquire, her daughters-in-law Kathleen Lee, and Pamela Medlock, six grandchildren, Reginald and Staci Medlock, Nilaja McGill, Ebony Bailey, Evan and Jerrell Bailey, Michelle and Omar Lewis, and Michael and Madeline Hoch-Lee. Eight great-grandchildren, Ryan, Evan, Alexis, Ayden, Antony, Brice, Peighton and Winston, one great-great grandson Jayce, brother-in-law Dr. Ralph Lee of Newport News Virginia, sister-in-law Constance Brown of Richmond, Virginia, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, including a special family friend Bruce White.