Mrs. Elizabeth Jemison

Celebrating The Life Of Our Beloved Elizabeth Jemison: Elizabeth Jemison was born on August 9, 1919, to the late Claude and Arlevia Robinson in Ackerman, Mississippi. Although she began her education in Mississippi, her mother Arlevia wanted her to have a better education than was available there. So Arlevia and Elizabeth moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where she graduated from high school. In 1937, Arlevia moved her family to Detroit, Michigan, with her second husband Roy Reed and she and Elizabeth joined Scott United Methodist Church upon arrival. Elizabeth began working at Great Lakes Insurance Company, where she met her life-long friend and travelling companion, Elouise (Curry) Blanks. She later met and married Argola Jemison, and they had one daughter, Candice. Elizabeth's career, always in human services, began with the City of Detroit and then she migrated to the State of Michigan, when Social Services became a State agency. She retired from the State of Michigan after 37 years of dedicated service in 1989. Elizabeth was a role model for Christian Worship, attending Sunday services, in her words, "every Sunday that the Lord allowed." She was also a role model for Christian Service, serving as a faithful member of Usher Board #2, and the Food Pantry, as long as her health permitted. As a career woman, Elizabeth was able to travel the highways and byways, with her family; sail the seas and island-hop with Candice; lunch with her favorite State Retirees, Dorothy and Shirley; and visit her second home, Las Vegas with 'Aunt Weezie', to her heart's content. She was also an avid card player, and was a founding member of the Bridgettes (Bridge) and Modernettes (Poker) Clubs, for over 50 years. She always planned for Candice to graduate from college, and she supported her through her first attempt at Michigan State, on through to her final career success, when she watched Candice graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Madonna University. It was during her degree pursuit, that Candice first recognized that her Mother truly deserved the title, St. Elizabeth, the Patroness of Higher Education. Argola preceded her in death less than a year after they both watched Candice graduate. Elizabeth continued to support Candice through her career and personal pursuits. She would proudly inform everyone providing medical care to her, that her daughter was a Madonna graduate! Elizabeth continued to live life to it's fullest, even after Candice insisted that she move to a safer location, and she lived her final years in the safety and serenity of the Villa Apartments, senior independent living campus. Elizabeth's Guardian Angel, as Candice used to tease her, worked tirelessly to keep Elizabeth safe from falls and weakening legs, that would have stopped a lesser woman. Elizabeth was fiercely independent, even in the face of a diagnosis of lung cancer in early 2015. With Candice as her on-call, private duty nurse and her Medical Support Team, Dr. Rajagopal, Ina and Kenya; Dr. Wozniak and her compassionate team members at Karmanos Cancer Institute; she fought to enjoy all the moments that God granted her up to the very end. By God's Grace, she was able to enjoy celebrating Mother's Day Church services with Candice by her side; and along with her cousins, Cheryl and Gregg, they lunched at her favorite seafood restaurant, the day before she took ill. She passed away after a brief and sudden hospitalization, on May 17, 2017.

Mrs. Elizabeth Jemison

August 9, 1919 - May 17, 2017