Ms. Artha Lee Darty

Her Journey: Artha Lee Gainey was born on December 15, 1924 in Rochelle, Georgia to Julia Olivia Reid and John Gainey, Jr. When Artha was nine years old, her mother, Julia, passed. When word reached her father, John, he immediately went to go get his daughter and at Artha's insistence, her five year old sister, Julia. John and his wife, Nealy Gainey, lovingly and contentedly raised both girls and in return both girls were lovingly devoted to their parents throughout. Artha, better known as Teenie, lived a quietly active life growing up in Rochelle. She was on the girl's basketball team and learned to play the game of tennis from her beloved high school teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Green. She attended the Piney Grove Baptist Church in Rochelle where she accepted Christ as a young girl. In 1951, Teenie moved to Detroit, Michigan to join the love of her life, James Darty, Sr. and began their new life together. They purchased their first home in Detroit, Michigan on Baylis Street. They raised their blended family which grew to six children there. It was also the “home-house” for relatives and friends visiting the city or looking to start new lives up north. Teenie was known for her excellent hospitality skills, delicious cooking, clean home, and having the whitest laundry on the block. She canned fruits and vegetables, made homemade sausages, slaughtered chickens, and helped plant large garden plots during springtime in Belleville, MI, so her family would be well fed throughout winter. She also made homemade starch for ironing, providing her family with crisp and well pressed clothing for school and work. She loved to listen to Motown and dance to her favorite tunes. In her later years, she became known for her delectable sweet potato pies, beef brisket, cabbage, and other delicacies of African American cuisine. If you ask her grands and great-grands, she made the best breakfast in town. Sadly, Teenie and James divorced in the late 1970s. Although heartbroken, she began a new chapter in her life. She began to drive and began to work full time at Mohawk Liqueurs. She made lifelong friends there and enjoyed traveling. Her grandchildren and great-grands took a special place in her heart. Almost all of them were comforted and nurtured by “those loving hands.” Following retirement, Teenie took on a new role as a chid care provider for a loving family, The Sims. Larry, Silvia, Bree, Jo and both sets of their grandparents helped to make the autumn of Teenie's life joyously meaningful. She loved helping them and after more than thirty years they have continuously shown love towards her. Teenie was quietly charitable. Not only was she a regular donor to her grandchildren's projects, she annually contributed to the National Negro College Fund and the Detroit Public Television Station Channel 56. She also helped many students at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. She departed this life on Thursday, January 10, 2019.

Ms. Artha Lee Darty

December 15, 1924 - January 10, 2019