Lula Mae Singletary's Obituary
Our beloved matriarch Lula Mae Singletary, 94, passed away peacefully on August 1, 2024, in Annapolis, Maryland. Lula was born October 19, 1929, in Jones County, Mississippi, the sixth child of Lanson and Inez Richards Parker. Her siblings Clifton, Maude, James, Pauline, and Robert preceded her in death.
Lula is also preceded in death by her husband Remus, to whom she was married for over 60 years. They had two daughters Alice Faye (Chester) Wright and Rhonda Kay Singletary (formerly Wharton.)
Surviving family members include her two beloved daughters Alice (Chester) Wright and Rhonda Singletary. Her great grandsons include David (Angela) Wright, Joel (Kate) Wright, and Jason (Bethany) Wharton. Great grands include Elisabeth (Jacob) Kay, Timothy Wright, Esther (Jalen) Mauk, Nathanael (Myla) Wright, Hope, Charity, and Noah Wright, LIlah, Abigail, Caleb, and Jeremiah Wharton. Great-great grandsons include James (Elisabeth) and Judah (Esther.)
Also surviving are nieces and nephews Deborah (Parker) Reece, Melody (Parker) Neal, Clifton Parker, Henrietta Parker, Rita Waller, Timothy Parker, James Parker, Jo Ann (Parker) Baker, Denise (Parker) Parks, and Wanda (Parker) Cron. Lula is also survived by her beloved first cousin and lifelong friend Hazel Hollifield Knight (99 year-old.)
When Lula Mae was fourteen years old, she was baptized into the Pentecostal church in Biloxi, Mississippi. Although her father had been a brush-arbor preacher, this experience transformed Lula Mae into an evangelist who spread the gospel for over half a century. She had a tender heart, but she was a fiery orator in the pulpit. Her daughter Alice and grandsons David and Joel carry her torch as ministers. Lula was proud to say her grandson was her pastor for the final chapter of her life. One of her proudest moments on her death bed was blessing her two new great-great grandsons James and Judah, as 6th generation Pentecostals.
Lula served as evangelist and pastor for half a century. In semi-retirement, she served in various capacities of ministry in the church her daughter and son-in-law founded in Annapolis, Maryland. When in her 80s and 90s, she served in ministry from her recliner, where she wrote endless cards and letters of encouragement to countless people. She demonstrated unconditional love and acceptance through these hand-written notes.
Lula Mae never owned a television in her life; she was an avid reader of both the Bible and inspirational books. Her King James Version was heavily notated. She would customize any book she read, by underlining and writing in the margins. Her favorite authors include Joy Haney, Elizabeth Elliott, and Charles Swindoll. Second to reading, Lula Mae always had a song in her heart, whistling and humming old hymns throughout her day. She kept her cars cleaned and decorated. She customized her vehicles with a self-applied ‘stripe.’, and she hand-polished her small SUV well into her 90s.
Lula Mae rigorously and regularly exercised her entire life. She rode a stationary bike six miles a day in her living room during her last decade. However, Lula Mae believed that attending to her spiritual nourishment was the ultimate priority. She rose before dawn every single morning and spent the first two hours of her day in prayer and Bible study.
Per the underlined instructions in the margin of her parallel Bible, Lula asked for 2 Corinthians 5 to be read upon her death, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”
Lula was an example of complete dedication to her Lord and Savior. In her 80 plus years of attendance, she was never late for church. Ultimately, Lula Mae Singletary became our blueprint for dying with grace, acceptance, and dignity.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., at Antioch The Apostolic Church, 1535 Ritchie Highway, Arnold, Maryland. Burial will be private. Flowers can be delivered to the church.
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