On Monday, August 28, 2017, Jean Delores Outlaw Bazemore peacefully entered into eternal rest.
Jean was born on July 26, 1933 in Bertie County, North Carolina to the late George W. Outlaw and Laura V. C. Rhea. She was one of seventeen children born of this blessed union.
She was educated in the public schools of Bertie County and was a 1952 graduate of W. S. Etheridge High School. On February 1, 1957, she married the late Clifton J. Bazemore and they made their home in Portsmouth, Virginia.
For over two decades, Jean was employed as a seamstress and supervisor with The Famous department store, the first specialty store for women in downtown Portsmouth, and as a seamstress at Westwood Cleaners. Jean was a gifted seamstress and would sew at home for church members, organizations, and friends. Jean was also known for her delicious cooking, especially her homemade rolls and checkerboard and coconut-pineapple cakes.
Jean was a dedicated and devoted member of New First Baptist Church Taylorsville. She was one of the founding members of the Hospitality Ministry that was established in 1984 during the pastorate of the Reverend Dr. T. Melvin Steele. For over thirty years, she was a member of Chrysanthemum Tent #480, United Order of Tents, the oldest black women’s organization in the United States founded in Norfolk, Virginia in 1867.
Jean is survived by her son and his wife, Derek D. Bazemore and Tiffany D. Bazemore, Elizabeth City, NC; her daughter and her husband, Carthene R. Bazemore-Walker and Corey D. B. Walker, Richmond, VA; five grandchildren, Devonté A. Jones, Destiny D. Bazemore, Lalia C. Bazemore, Camryn P. B. Walker, and Celene E. B. Walker; and one sister, Shirley Grimes, Windsor, NC. She is further survived by a host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives and many friends.
Viewing will be held at Corprew Funeral Home on Friday, September 1, 2017, from 12 Noon to 8 pm. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 2, 2017, 11 am at New First Baptist Church Taylorsville, 2720 Turnpike Rd., Portsmouth, VA 23707. Interment will be in Roosevelt Memorial Park, 1101 Campostella Rd., Chesapeake, VA 23320.
