Lela Byrd Gildersleeve

Lela Byrd Gildersleeve, was born January 31, 1924 in Warren, Ohio to the late Mr. Thomas Jefferson Byrd and the late Mrs. Viola Nichols Byrd. She is survived by her children, Roulettei Gildersleeve of Columbus, NC and Charles (Dottie) Gildersleeve of Montgomery, AL and predeceased by her husband, Charles Wesley Gildersleeve, two brothers, Thomas Byrd, Jr. and Lorenzo Byrd, one sister, Rubye Byrd Foreman, two sisters-in-law, Margie Dubose and Annie Grace Pitts, one niece, Gail Rivers and one nephew, Christopher Byrd. She leaves to cherish her memory, one sister, Earnestine White of Montgomery, AL, one sister-in-law, Edithe Rivers of Lawrenceville, GA, six nieces, Diane (Evans) Spagner of Watchung, NJ, Cheri Hayes of Montgomery, AL, Lisa (David) Blutcher, of Chicago, IL, Marcella (Tony) Smith of Montgomery, AL, Sylvia Register and LaTaiga (Victor) Proctor of White Plains, MD, nine nephews, Thomas (Cynthia) Dubose of Waynesboro, MS, Cleveland (Verna) Rivers of Lawrenceville, GA, Thomas J. Byrd, III of Atlanta, GA, Tommy Lorenzo Byrd, Robert Pitts of Mobile, AL, Joseph (Maxine) Byrd White of Upland, CA, Michael Harris of Atlanta, GA, Jeffrey (Megan) Byrd and Kevin (Sarah) Byrd, both of Seattle, WA, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Lela began a long teaching career in Griffin, GA teaching fourth grade. Next she taught high school at Crenshaw County training school in Luverne, AL. She worked as a teacher at McIntyre Elementary, principal at G.W.Carver Elementary, and Title I Supervisor prior to retiring from Montgomery Public Schools. Lela continued to positively influence education by supervising student teachers at Alabama State University well into her eighties.

Lela Gildersleeve was a founding member of New Life Baptist Church in Montgomery. She loved her family, church and students and enthusiastically worked to enrich the lives of others. She will be greatly missed.