Gladys Evora Dunston

Gladys Evora Sapp Dunston is a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, best friend, community activist/leader, and social worker whose life directly and indirectly impacted countless souls. Gladys ascended peacefully into heavenly realm on the morning of November 29, 2016.
Gladys was born on October 22, 1941 in Winfall, North Carolina to the late Rev. Walker C. and Bertha L. Sapp. Gladys graduated from Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC in 1963 and married Leonard G. Dunston the following year. After earning her Masters degree in Social Work at the University of North Carolina in 1966, she moved to New York where she started her family, and began her 30+ years in social work.
Gladys maintained several community and leadership roles throughout her life. As president of the Westchester County, NY chapter of the Association of Black Social Workers, Gladys created a Rites of Passage program designed to empower young girls as they transition into womanhood. In 2004, she retired from Greenburgh (NY) Central 7 School district and moved to Durham, NC, where she volunteered with Oak Grove Elementary School and served as Board Chair of Durham County Social Services. She was also chairperson of the Executive Board for the Bridge Jubilee Crossing, Inc., an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Civil Rights Movement in Selma, AL.
She leaves legions of loved ones and admirers to celebrate her life, including her devoted husband of 52 years, Leonard Dunston of Durham, NC, children Kioka Dunston of Durham, NC and Kwame Dunston of Atlanta, GA, granddaughter Nzingha Dunston of Atlanta, GA, sister Helen Sapp Taylor of Petersburg, VA, adopted sons Devaron (Tracy) Benjamin and Kendall Martin, additional grandchildren Devaron Jr., Tracy and Jahvon Benjamin, nephew Howard Taylor, and numerous family and friends.
Gladys' family will honor her wish to be cremated and will celebrate her life in a private funeral later this week. A memorial tribute will be scheduled at a later date.
The family has requested, in lieu of flowers or plants, that a contribution in her name be made to the Bridge Jubilee Crossing, Inc., 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, P.O. Box 1582, Selma, Alabama, 36702.