Gwendolyn Faulk

Gwendolyn Faulk (affectionately called "Pip") was one of four children born to the late Walter Richard and Elizabeth Cherry. She was born on December 13, 1940, in Hallsboro (Cherry Town), North Carolina and departed this life on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at her home in Newark, New Jersey.
Pip moved to Newark, New Jersey in 1958 after graduating, as salutatorian, from Artesian High School, Class of 1958, Hallsboro, North Carolina. She remained very active with the Artesian High School Alumni Association until recent years.
Soon after arriving in Newark, Pip met and married the love of her life, the late Charles Faulk, on September 17, 1960. Through her marriage to Charles (who passed in 2022), she had three daughters: the late Elizabeth Clarita (2024), Decanda Michelle, and Chandele Marie Tunnell (Keith). She was a devoted daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and cousin. She had an abundance of love for everyone and loved life. She also had the most beautiful, infectious smile.
In 1999, Pip graduated from Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration – Material Management, earning it while working full-time and attending college part-time for ten years.
After decades of work in corporate America, Pip retired in 2010 from Merck, formerly Schering-Plough and Organon Pharmaceuticals. She was a hardworking woman who took pride in her work. She enjoyed her retirement and loved spending time with her husband, great-grandchildren, and attending the Kingdom Hall.
Pip was preceded in death by her adoring parents, Walter and Elizabeth Richard; her beloved husband, Charles Wessie; her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Clarita; her parents-in-law, Thelma and Hubert Frank McCargo (who introduced her to the Jehovah's Witness faith); and several cherished aunts: Betty Lou Brown (Robert), Lovie Vereen, and Gladiola Powell.
She was the beloved and cherished grandmother of four grandchildren: Taurean Ogunnaike (Jovanna), Charisma Chandler (Lamon), Terry Cheeks, Jr., and Wayne Dumas, Jr.; five great-grandchildren: Lylah, Raegan, Chandler, Peyton, and Tyson; two sisters: Jurleen Richard and Alberta George (Terrence); one brother: Walter "Sunny Boy" Richard Jr.; two sons-in-laws: Keith Tunnell and Emmanuel "Keji" Ogunnaike; three nephews: Pernel, Keith, and Michael; three nieces: Ollie, Thelma Lee, and Remal; and a host of cousins, too many to name. Among them are Louise and Bobbi, who often visited her even as her memory failed her. Many of her cousins stayed in touch with her until the end, and each knew she loved them dearly.
Our beloved mother departed this life on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at her home in Newark. She fought to stay with us, but God, in His infinite wisdom, saw that her earthly body was too weary and needed rest. She fought a good fight, kept the faith, and finished the race. God called her home after a brief illness to take her rightful place with our father, older sister, grandparents, and so many other loved ones. She is now seated at the feet of her Heavenly Father, who has prepared a very special place for her to rest and reunite with all her loved ones who went before her.
Pip leaves behind a legacy of love and devotion, cherished by her daughters, siblings, sons-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, close friends, and neighbors who enriched her life and were deeply touched by her kindness and strength.