Mildred S. Blount

Mildred Suggs Blount was born on November 15, 1919 in Snow Hill, North Carolina to the late Otis and Sadie Suggs. She passed away on the morning of February 12, 2017 at the age of 97.

She is predeceased by her husband, Marion Hines Blount; brothers Walter Suggs, William Suggs, Henry Suggs, John Suggs, Otis Suggs Jr, David Suggs; sister Thelma Suggs Lewis; and grandson Anthony Brian Galloway.

She is survived by daughters Jessie Anderson (Walter) of Chesapeake, Virginia and Ernestine Blount Alston (Harold) of Beacon, New York; son Dr. Marion Lee Blount (Beverly) of Mahopac, New York; sister Doris Suggs Shepherd of Virginia Beach, Virginia; and granddaughter Angela Blount of Mechanicsville, Virginia. She leaves behind six grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. She also leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mildred Blount spent her youth in Snow Hill and attended the Green County school system. On November 1, 1936, she married Marion Hines Blount. Out of that union, came two daughters and a son. In 1942, Mildred and Marion moved to Norfolk, Virginia, and a few years after that, they moved to Portsmouth, Virginia where they were residents for the remainder of their lives.

Mildred Blount joined Noble Street Baptist Church on April 1, 1945 and was a faithful member until her passing. She was active in the Church School Ministry, Noon Day Prayer Ministry, Octogenarian Ministry, and a former member of the Nurses Ministry and the Female Usher Ministry.

Mildred Blount worked as a domestic worker and retired as a cafeteria worker from the Portsmouth School System in 1979. “Millie,” as she was affectionately called by family, had a dream to be a teacher. Her love for education was evident as she continually pushed those close to her to “get as much education as you can.” Commenting on a grandchild’s school report, she said “I never became a teacher, but I taught my children the value of an education.” As such, her commitment to education extended outside her home as she was a strong supporter of the Noble Street Baptist Church scholarship efforts.

Family and visitors will always remember the meals prepared by “Millie” with love and many hours of preparation. With decreased mobility in her later years, a ritual at family meals was grandchildren sitting on the floor conversing with “Grandma Mildred.” The name “Millie” will continue in the family as the given name of the last born great-grandchild Millie Rose Blount.

Mildred Blount lived a complete, loving life that embodied/symbolized one of her favorite sayings, “If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living will not be in vain.”

The funeral service will be on Saturday, February 18, 2017, at 11AM at the Noble Street Baptist Church, 100 Noble Street, Portsmouth, Virginia, preceded by the viewing at 10AM. Interment will follow at the Roosevelt Memorial Cemetery in Chesapeake, Virginia.   There will also be a viewing on Friday, February 17, 2017, between 2PM and 8PM at the Corprew Funeral Home, 1822 Portsmouth Blvd., Portsmouth, Virginia.  In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her memory to the Noble Street Baptist Church Scholarship Fund.