CLEVELAND, Ohio – It started like any other.
For Gloria Williams, that meant singing while working at the Fairlawn Walmart. That meant talking to friends and praying with some people.
She can tell about a colleague whose daughter has leukemia and whose son just had a stroke.
She might tell you about a friend facing eye surgery. A friend with a back problem, a friend with a leg problem. I have friends who almost cried because of rude customers, and friends who came back almost dying of pneumonia.
Oh, and I have a friend whose daughter is in the middle of a divorce and has moved back in with her mother, taking her teenage daughter with her. I have another friend who is raising her grandchildren. Another had an adult child who was on drugs.
People trusted Gloria. They told her their problems and fears and asked her to pray for them. She would often quickly anoint them with a small bottle of oil that she always carried with her.
Gloria called it “Walmart Church.”
she was singing while working
She recently celebrated her 20th anniversary at Walmart. It meant a lot to her and her mother, Melba Hardison. Her work history before she started working at Walmart was…kind…spotty.
She had several jobs at Walmart. Her last one was her favorite. Her manager was Tammy Spradlin, who gave Gloria the responsibility of keeping the shoe and infant departments in some sort of order. It’s not easy in places where people throw away their old, smelly shoes and walk out in new shoes.
Or someone who stuck stale French fries in their shoe.
Gloria sang a gospel song while she cleaned. Sometimes customers would stop her and sing along with her. Little children were dancing. Some of her elders heard one of her traditional Negro spirituals and cried because it touched something deep within her.
Sometimes people would show up at Walmart looking for the singing woman.
Who are you singing to?
Once upon a time, Gloria had a dream of becoming a gospel star. She sang on several local television stations. She sang in several huge churches. Gloria later realized that she had become a diva. Her attitude cost her television appearances and a major solo career in church.
I met Gloria 25 years ago. I was doing ministry work for men at the Portage County Jail. Gloria served women at the same facility. She was also struggling in different parts of her life. No drugs or alcohol, but relationship and medical issues.
It took a while, but especially when we moved to Summit County, Gloria joined my wife Roberta and I in prison service. We formed a team with Frank Williams and Stephen Haley and it lasted for 20 years.
She also sang with us when we worshiped at Mission Haven in Akron. Gone are the TV shows and megachurches. But Gloria kept singing. prisoners. Homeless. Nursing home. People with special needs were especially drawn to her.
She was a superstar both in prison and at rest. Some men who had been listening to her sing for years asked her to sing their favorite songs. She loved to sing and play the tambourine in church.
I’ve seen Gloria sing in front of a crowd of 1,000 people in a large church, in front of five men in prison, or in front of one person at Walmart or a nursing home. The effort and enthusiasm were the same.
Gloria was able to rock with some of the best black gospel artists. She also began singing old Negro spirituals a cappella. As she walks around Walmart, you’ll hear her voice say, “Walk in the water…walk in the water, kids…” as she straightens out her diaper and her bottle.
Psalm 68 family
Roberta and I joined Gloria’s family. Her mother, Melba Hardison, also became our mother. People saw us together and tried to understand all the black and white combinations.
The answer is found in Psalm 68:6. “God places a lonely man in his family. He brings out the prisoners with song.”
Her pastor Bishop Joey Johnson (Akron Lord’s Home) introduced her to Etria and Chuck Gilles, and they were able to rent her a home. She attended that church for 41 years. The Gill family (her landlord) has treated her like her family for the past 23 years.
She has been a sister to Roberta and me for at least this century.
God not only sets up a lonely person in the family, but also comes up with interesting combinations.
last song
Gloria’s 67th birthday was October 2nd. She and Roberta stopped by to visit her mother’s nursing home. Then we gathered at her favorite celebratory eating place, Outback Her Steakhouse.
Like many creative people, Gloria never worried about keeping her home clean. But when the calendar turned to October, she asked Roberta to help her do some spring cleaning. “On my birthday,” she said.
They spent part of three days on the job.
On October 5th, I took Gloria to work at Walmart and picked her up. She was in a very good mood. We dined at her Rockne’s, one of her favorite restaurants in Akron.
“Do you know what I was singing at Walmart today?” she asked. “Zion is calling me …I can’t remember the last time I sang that. That’s what occurred to me. ”
The song begins like this. “Zion calls me to a place of higher praise.”
To stand on the mountain and praise his name. ”
We often put songs on our iPhones and sing them to work. That was what we sang on October 5th, her last day at Walmart. She was in a fun mood.
her silent struggle
Gloria had been battling epilepsy for decades. One of Gloria’s fears was that she would have a seizure or become disabled.
That was a concern for us as well.
We knew she could have a major seizure and then she would go home to heaven. That night, that’s exactly what happened after she dropped her off at her house.
The next morning, when I arrived to take her to work, I found her collapsed on the floor. She had been gone for a while. It was a seizure. She has been through a lot over the years. I’ve seen it happen at least 5 times, Roberta’s even more.
Gloria never married and had no children. Her friends at Walmart and in the ministry were her family and a few close relatives.
“She knew it was time to go,” said her 97-year-old mother, Melba Hardison. “I understand that. She was ready.”
2 Corinthians 5:8: “I want to leave the body and be with the Lord.”
When I close my eyes and look at Gloria, I can’t see her empty shell on the floor. In the car driving home from her last day of work, I can hear us singing, “Zion calls me to high places of praise…”
The sister who used to sing like an angel is now singing with the angels.
Information about Gloria Williams arrangements
Tuesday, October 17, 2023: Somerville Funeral Home, Akron. Open to the public: (5:30pm – 7pm).
Wednesday, October 18, 2023: The Lord’s House in Akron. Celebration of Life Service: (11 a.m.).multipurpose center
Note: All attendees are asked to wear bright colors at the Family Visitation and Celebration of Life services. Gloria loved bright colors.
No flowers: Please make a donation to the Lord’s House in Akron or the Akron Haven.
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