Jessie Juanita Whitfield

Jessie Juanita Davis Whitfield slipped away peacefully on April 15, 2019, after a lengthy illness. Born on July 25, 1932 in the Old House on the family homestead in Belfast, Tennessee, Juanita was the second oldest daughter of the twelve children of Roy Melvin Davis and Mary Margaret Cole. She was also the cherished treasure of her Uncle James and Aunt Jessie Lee. Her early life was spent in Belfast, where she attended school and was united with the Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church. While in college at Tennessee State University she met and married the love of her life, Jarvis Whitfield, M.D., who at that time was an intern in medical school in Nashville. Juanita and her husband lived the majority of their lives in Houston, Texas. Juanita taught at Dodson Elementary School there for several years. She was a member of the Gamma Psi Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the Women's Auxiliary to the Houston Medical Forum, the Smart Set, and various other social organizations. Juanita spent many hours creating and developing her craft projects. In her early adult life, she and her sister, Geraldine, worked together to design and sew the gowns they wore to special events, embellishing them with elaborate patterns made of sequins and beads. Juanita also made beautiful quilts for her family and friends, and spent many hours creating and arranging floral displays for dining tables, wedding decorations and special events. Jarvis and Juanita spent many relaxing days fishing from the pier at their beach house on Galveston Bay in San Leon, Texas. In their later years Jarvis and Juanita united with Grace Congregation Church in Houston, Texas where she became an educator with Grace Congregational Church School. Juanita was the first President of the R.L.Finney Comprehensive Learning Center and Bible College, from which she received a degree in biblical studies. Jarvis and Juanita enjoyed the wonderful fellowship with their brothers and sisters at Grace Congregational Church, many of whom nurtured, sustained and comforted them as they aged in place in their beloved residence. Altogether, it was a life well lived. Juanita Whitfield leaves behind two daughters, four grandchildren, two great-grandsons, one great-granddaughter, four sisters, five sisters in law, two brothers, one brother in law, a host of nieces and nephews, one very special son, Gregory McAfee, and her lifelong friend and companion, Mary Jenkins. "She is gone from our sight but never from our hearts." In lieu of flowers, Juanita asks that a silent prayer be offered in her memory. Arrangements are by the East Brainerd Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, 8214 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421. Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastBrainerdChapel.com.