Gladys Bolling Fletcher

HAMPTON - Gladys Bolling Fletcher departed this life on April 20, 2007, in Arlington, Va. Mrs. Fletcher was born on May 6, 1922, on the campus of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). She attended Whittier Elementary School, was a 1939 graduate of George P. Phenix High School and in 1943 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Hampton Institute. In 1946, she graduated from the School of Library Service at Atlanta University. Mrs. Fletcher had a wide range of educational experiences with children and adults here in the United States and abroad. Her first teaching assignment was in Crisfield, Md. Her services as a Librarian were utilized at Hampton Institute; Elmendorf A.F.B. Library in Anchorage, Alaska; Texas Southern University Library; Taipei American School in Taiwan and in the City of Hampton at Union, Y.H. Thomas and William Mason Cooper Elementary Schools. She retired from the City of Hampton Public School System in 1987. A lifelong member of Zion Baptist Church in Hampton, Va., Gladys once served as a Sunday school teacher, a volunteer in the tutorial program and as a supporter of many youth activities. She held membership in the NAACP (Life Membership), the National Hampton Alumni Association, the Hampton Retired Teachers Association, the 50 Plus Alumni Group, the Phoebus Improvement League, the Quarter Century Club at Hampton University, the Peninsula Librarian Association and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She was predeceased by her parents, Edward A. and Georgia Bridgeforth Bolling; her husband, Major Henri F. Fletcher; a daughter, Ten F. Newsome; and her brothers, Edward A. Bolling Jr., George R. Bolling and Roscoe H. Bolling. Survivors include two daughters, Brenda F. (Gould) Johnson of Portsmouth, Va., and Rita Y. Barnett of Ashburn, Va.; three sisters-in-law, Ellen L. Bolling of Hampton, Va., Dolores J. Bolling of San Jose, Calif., and the Rev. James Etta West of San Antonio, Texas; three sons-in-law, Ellsworth K. Johnson Jr. of Portsmouth, Va., the Rev. N. LaMonte Newsome of Columbia, S.C., and Charles Barnett of Ashburn, Va.; grandchildren include John Gould lll and wife, Simone, of Phoenix, Ariz., Rebecah Smith and husband, Guy, of Roanoke, Va., Darius J. Gould of Hampton, Va., and Edward A. Barnett of Ashburn, Va.; four great-grandchildren, Desireé Gould, Tavian Gould, Sedona Gould and Guy Isaiah Smith; several nephews and cousins. Other survivors include special friends, Benjamin and Mary Stewart of Tinton Falls, N.J., and lifelong acquaintances known as 'The Binghams.' A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 28, at Zion Baptist Church, Hampton, with the Rev. Dr. Browlee Hailstock officiating. Celebration of Life (eulogy) by the Rev. Dr. N. LaMonte Newsome, son in-law. Interment will follow the service in the Hampton University Cemetery. Mrs. Fletcher will lie in state at the church by 9 a.m. Family and friends are asked to assemble by 10 a.m. Saturday at 24 W. Cummings Ave., Hampton. A viewing will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. today followed by a visitation from 5 to 5:30 p.m. followed with an Omega Service conducted by the members of the Hampton Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority from 5:30 to 6 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the J. Dett Marshburn Scholarship Fund, Zion Baptist Church, 125 W. County St., Hampton, VA 23663. The family expresses heartfelt gratitude for the many kind and thoughtful deeds and comforting expressions of love and concern extended to them during the loss of their loved one. Knowing that you care has been a great source of consolation. Arrangements by Smith Brothers Funeral Home, 545 E. Mercury Blvd., Hampton, 23663 – 723-4117.