Faye Cummings

Faye was a passionate and loving person with an acerbic sense of humor. She was part of a very large family, with her mother being one of eight progeny descended from Gertie and Limon Lilley which resulted in a multitude of aunts, uncles and cousins that comprise our family. The family has always been close-knit and most of the family members have lived in the Hampton Roads area for several generations. They always made it a point to get together at least twice a year on the 4th of July and Christmas Eve, and you would always find Faye in attendance. In addition to the big family get togethers, a tradition was established to meet every Tuesday for lunch followed by an afternoon of shopping. They would all pick a favorite restaurant and, with Grandma Lilley leading the pack while she was alive, as many of the aunts and cousins would attend as many of the Tuesday outings as they could. Though lately it had become every other Tuesday, Faye always looked forward to the luncheon outings and you would normally find her right there with her aunts and cousins. As the aunts aged over the years, Faye always made sure they were taken care of. She would clear a path for anyone with a cane or walker and was there to provide anything they needed. In addition, Faye, her mom and her Aunt Elsie would also pick up her Aunt Gertie every weekend and take her to the grocery store (or wherever she needed to go) and, in the grand Lilley fashion, stop to enjoy lunch somewhere. She even joined a senior’s club with her Aunt Elsie and would take her there for their weekly meetings. She also checked in with her mother on a frequent basis to determine if she required anything or needed any prescriptions picked up and graciously offered to do so without hesitation and deliver them promptly to her door.

Faye had a special place in her heart not only for her aunts, but also for elderly people in general. She would check in on her elderly neighbors and help out whenever she could. She would lend a steady and supportive arm to make sure someone got through a door or out to a car safely.

In addition to the elderly, Faye loved babies. Whenever one of the cousins brought their new baby to one of the many holiday parties or to a weekly luncheon, Faye would be the first in line to get a hold of him or her. And don’t even try to get a turn! If she gave up a baby she was holding, it wasn’t without some push back. She just loved holding them and talking to them and if she let someone else hold them, it wasn’t long before she would take them back to get a little more cuddle time.

Faye also loved animals, especially dogs. Her current dog, Delilah, was her true soulmate that she rescued from roaming the streets homeless. She had rescued many dogs over the years, particularly older dogs that didn’t have a chance of getting adopted. She made it possible for them to live out what was left of their sweet little lives in a loving home. Though Faye didn’t have a lot of money and she didn’t own any cats, she would make sure cat food was part of her monthly budget to feed the strays in the neighborhood. Even if they didn’t have a permanent home, because of Faye, they always had a meal they could count on.

One of Faye’s favorite pastimes was gardening. She loved flowers, growing vegetables and herbs, and keeping her yard looking well manicured. She loved bringing flowers that she had grown to her aunts as well as sharing her bounty of vegetables and herbs with her friends, neighbors and family members.

Faye had been an integral part of her very large family, made many contributions to their well-being and will definitely be missed by them all.

In keeping with her lifelong commitment to animal welfare, a contribution to the Humane Society or ASPCA would be greatly appreciated in lieu of flowers.