Willie Lee Sumlar

The Official Tribute of Willie Lee Sumlar
Willie was born on December 09, 1934, in Branchville, Virginia to Joe Nathan
Sumlar and Lena Belle Sumlar. Willie spent most of his youth with his
grandmother, Stella Kee, who raised him on a farm in Branchville, Virginia. Willie sacrificed his education while only completing the eighth grade to support his grandmother on the farm. After leaving the farm, Willie managed to find employment in Norfolk, Virginia loading bakery trucks along with operating a well digging machine. While managing multiple jobs, Willie was offered a job with the Norfolk Highway Division but declined the offer because he wanted to see what employment opportunities existed in New Jersey.
On July 07, 1959, Willie married his childhood sweetheart of 66 years, Rosa Mae Boone, also affectionately known as "Toots". To this union two sons were born, Tracy and Travis Sumlar.
Willie and Rosa relocated to East Orange, New Jersey, where he quickly found employment with the County of Essex as a Building Maintenance Worker. His duties included cleaning, shampooing carpets, stripping and waxing floors, relocating, restoring, and repurposing furniture, which yielded huge cost savings for the County of Essex.
During his tenure with the County of Essex, Willie accepted a special assignment as a Window Washer, which at the time was considered one of the most dangerous jobs. Willie never gave up his desire to support his family with his work ethics. Willie accepted a catering job in the evenings for 15 years at Tom's Restaurant where he cleaned, delivered food and provided quality assurance. "Resting" was not in Willie's vocabulary as he believed working was his road map to a better life for himself and his family; therefore, he never allowed himself to be satisfied. Willie would always say he could not take a break and/or rest because he had so much work to do to provide for his family.
Willie also distinguished himself being honored by the County of
Essex for having perfect attendance for 62 years, which accrued to over
seven hundred days of sick leave. In addition, Willie donated numerous hours of annual leave each year to employees in need of leave to care for themselves and/or their families. This was a display of the continuous generosity and the character of Willie.
Willie was promoted to Senior Maintenance Repairer on August 13, 2007. Willie had a personnel file that was filled with a plethora of awards and letters. During his tenure with the County of Essex, he was always willing to go above and beyond what was asked of him with a consistent and cheerful smile.
Willie was a true living example of a servant of God. In his spare time, he would spend countless hours at Bethel Baptist Church, where he was a member for 50 + years. Willie joined the church and quickly became engaged with the Usher Board, Men's Choir and later the Trustee Board. Willie was honored on January 18, 2020, for his ability to step in and take the lead in completing the church renovation after the general contractor went out of business in 1993. Willie and the "Men of Bethel" took on an enormous responsibility with completing the church renovation during that challenging time. Willie worked during the week at the County of Essex and finished his evenings including weekends at the Bethel Baptist Church. Willie was a quiet and humble man who was good with his hands and wanted no fanfare.
Upon retiring from the County of Essex in 2019, Willie was able to spend most of his time at home taking care of his childhood sweetheart who was diagnosed with dementia. Willie never missed a beat. He was up early in the morning cooking breakfast and being the sole caretaker for his wife with assistance from a great family friend Mattie Ellis and his church family. Mattie would tell Willie he needed to rest, and he would listen at times, but when he got a free moment to himself, he enjoyed planting flowers, washing his truck and keeping his home in pristine condition.
Willie will be missed dearly by all who knew him and loved him. He leaves to cherish his memories, his childhood sweetheart, wife Rosa Mae Sumlar, two sons, Tracy and Travis Sumlar (Cawana), one brother, David Jones (Delores) and one sister, Janie Moody along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Willie is preceded in death by his grandmother Stella Kee, father, Joe Nathan Sumlar, his mother, Lena Belle Sumlar, and his sister, Barbery Mae Ridley.