Willie Mae Graham Jenkins: Strength, Song, and a Life of Sacred Service

Family profile adapted from the memories of daughter, June Brown 

Curated by Kathleen A. Tucker (aka Kat) Her Proud Great Niece

Born on a Tuesday, August 3, 1920, in Forrest City, Arkansas, Willie Mae was the ninth of twelve children born to Mack and Ada Ford Graham. Her early years took root in the close-knit communities of Parma and Providence, Missouri, where she blossomed into the strong and spiritually grounded woman so many came to love and respect.

After the passing of her mother, Ada, young Willie Mae was lovingly taken in and raised by her older sister Charlene and Charlene’s husband, Joe Williams—a gesture that would mark the first of many deep family bonds that carried her through life.

In her early season of love, Willie Mae married General Pershing Hawes. To this union, three daughters were born: Mary Beatrice (Bea) Hawes, Irene Victoria (Vicky) Hawes, and Doris Helen (Helen) Hawes.

In another season, love returned through her union with Leroy Jenkins. From this marriage, five children were born: one son, Thomas Lee (T.L.) Jenkins, and four daughters—Raye Evelyn (Raye) Jenkins, Carolyn Patricia (Carol) Jenkins, Lynnette Marie (Lynnie/Lynnette) Jenkins, and Janice Delores Jenkins. Janice, sadly, passed from pneumonia just six months after birth.

Through each season, Willie Mae’s heart expanded—with love, with loss, and with the blessing of motherhood. Her life was a testament to resilience, devotion, and the enduring strength of a mother’s love.

She raised her children in Malden, Missouri, largely as a single mother. But her household was anything but broken. Fueled by faith and fortified by love, her home was one of spiritual richness. Her commitment to raising her children under divine guidance led her to Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, a spiritual home where she served faithfully for decades.

There, she was more than a member, she was a servant-leader. She sang in the choir, directed youth programs, counseled young people, and poured herself into the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU). So beloved was her service that the youth group was renamed the Willie Mae Jenkins’ Circle in her honor.

Her leadership reached beyond the walls of Macedonia. She served in the Friendship District Association and, at the time of her passing, held the role of President of the District’s Music Department. Music was more than melody to her—it was ministry.

While raising her family, Aunt Willie Mae worked as a maid and caregiver to several families in Malden. The children she helped raise became lifelong friends to her own children, especially after desegregation created new bridges within the community.

Her work was not limited to the domestic sphere—she dedicated over 25 years to Bradshaw Funeral Home, where her daughters Raye and Lynnette later worked as well. Her service to Malden didn’t stop there. She was a member of the Malden-Parma NAACP Branch, a 4-H Club volunteer, a force in DAEOC efforts, and a major advocate in the vote that secured the creation of the Malden Community Center.

At the Malden Nutrition Center for Seniors, she worked as the Head Cook, bringing nourishment and warmth to many. For all this and more, she was honored with a “Woman of the Year” award—an acknowledgment of a life steeped in dignity, love, and public service.

When she passed on Sunday, February 2, 1992, she was surrounded by five of her eight children, her life’s work, her living legacy.

Aunt Willie Mae left behind far more than accomplishments. She left behind a blueprint—for faith, for service, for resilience, and for unconditional love. She wasn’t simply a pillar of her family; she was a pillar of her community, of her church, and of the many lives she touched.

Her song still echoes, her work still bears fruit, and her legacy still lives—within all of us.