Rhoma Alvin Battle

Rhoma Alvin Battle was born to David and Birdie Battle at Garfield Hospital in Washington D.C. on March 31st, 1938 and lived with his loving family on H Street N.E. He grew up with his older brother David Battle, his beloved Cousins, Marion Clomax and Milton Thornton, and had many other Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends. He attended schools in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Spingarn High School in 1958. During HS, he played football and basketball and was very proud of having belonged to the Civil Air Patrol where his troop won many awards for their precision drills.

In his early twenties, Rhoma and Barbara Duckette had a daughter, Davida Anita. Rhoma then met and married his former wife of 43 years, Margaret Ann Carter and they had 2 children, a son Rhoma Holsall and a daughter, Renee Lizette. Having to raise a young family, Rhoma tried his hand at many different jobs, from shoe salesmen, laundry Forman and job councilor to police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department and driver for D.C. Transit. While driving for D.C. Transit, Rhoma ran for and was elected Shop Steward, representing and defending the interests of his follow employees with the Union. He was very proud of his work as Shop Stewart.

Rhoma's true passion was being an entrepreneur. He took courses offered by the District of Columbia to help him learn how to start his own business. He was able to venture into his lifelong occupation of developing, owning and operating grocery stores throughout Washington, D.C., with his flagship store being Jefferson Market on Georgia Ave. N.W., D.C. His passion was taking a building from scratch and turning it into a fully operational grocery store to operate and sell for a profit. To that end, he opened many more grocery stores throughout the Washington D.C. area.

To help grow the family business, Rhoma's family worked in the stores 7 days a week. It was hard work but well worth the efforts. Rhoma was so dedicated to his businesses that during the great snow storm of February 1979, he dawned as many cloths as he could wear and, because his car was not drivable in so much snow, he walked from his home in Hyattsville Maryland, to his store, Ogden Market, on 15th Street, N.W., Washington. He was the only store open in that area for days so he slept at the store so that he could remain open until the streets where drivable.

Rhoma was proud of the fact that he was able to employ people who lived in the neighborhoods of his grocery stores. He sponsored a little league team where he purchased uniforms and provided travel expenses for the team. Kids would come to the store to show him their report cards and he would give money for good grades. He delivered his groceries to the senior homes and schools in his little orange VW Bus. He was also part of the Mayor's Summer Jobs program in which he hired many young people to work for him during the Summer's and was a member of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Kiwanis Club.

In the early years, Rhoma enjoyed vacationing with his family in Nassau and Florida. He enjoyed scuba diving, hand gliding and snorkeling. He also loved horseback riding with his friends, listening to jazz and blues and drinking Glenlivit whiskey. Rhoma was a man's man but also had a softer side. One of his favorite passions was photography. He took pictures of everything from the family dogs, close up pictures of flowers, street parades in D.C., and atop the empire state building in NY City.

If you knew Rhoma, you knew he loved to debate all subjects with anyone at any time. He was well read and had strong opinions on everything and would debate until the other person said Uncle.

Later in life Rhoma had his struggles, as many do. But in the end, he enjoyed holidays, cookouts and dinners with his family and always talked about his children and grandchildren fondly with anyone that would listen. He also talked fondly of his nurse's aide, Joanne. Joanne made his last year much more comfortable and he would say as much.

Rhoma had a full life until his health began to fail. He was not particularly religious, but he believed in good times with good friends, the sun and the moon, the rain, the flowers and trees, the ocean, and the good earth! He will be missed by all who knew him.

Arrangements under the direction of Fort Lincoln Funeral Home, BRENTWOOD, MD.