Obituary of Fannie Grace Bolden

Fannie Grace Byrd (Bolden) was born to the late Deacon Elliott Thomas Byrd and Ethel Stewart Byrd in Greenville, South Carolina, on March 12, 1932. Fannie was the second child of five children. As a child, Fannie loved church. She went to Sunday School and sang on the church choir. As a young woman, she dedicated her life to Jesus Christ. Her passion in life was to help other people. She believed that God had a call on her life to help others.

Fannie Grace graduated from Sterling High School in 1949, and attended Grady Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1950 to 1953, where she earned her R.N. degree. After she finished Nursing School, she married Booker T. Bolden on August 28, 1953, in Nashville, Tennessee. During their 25-year marriage, they welcomed three children: Pamela, Angela and Michael.

Fannie Grace went back to school at Glassboro State College from 1978 to 1983. She became a nurse practitioner in 1984 and provided healthcare to women in a health care clinic. Fannie Grace worked as a nurse for 56 years. She worked in different facilities: hospitals, nursing homes, and a woman’s health care clinic, where she ultimately retired after 38 years of service.
Fannie believed that there would always be people who needed help. Thus, her love of helping people became a significant part of her life.

Fannie Grace always attended church no matter where she lived. When she moved to Lawnside, N.J., in 1961, she and her family joined Grace Temple Baptist Church. She served as an Usher for 4 years and sang on the church choir for 45 years. She loved the Lord, and His grace has always been in her life. Fannie Grace was a woman of grace, and that same grace that God gave her, she extended to others as a nurse, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and to relatives, friends, and coworkers. She was always kind and generous and would help anyone who needed help. Fannie Grace always lived a life of grace, peace, and love for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Fannie Grace has left a host of loved ones to cherish her memories: two remaining children, Pastor Pamela Bolden-Carter of Sicklerville, N.J., and Angela Wilmer of Williamstown, N.J.; two sons-in-law, Pastor Steven Carter of Sicklerville, N.J., and Augustus Wilmer of Williamstown, N.J. Her one son, Michael T. Bolden, preceded her in death. She is survived by two sisters, Ethel Geroy Byrd and Anna Byrd of Greenville, S.C., and one brother, The Honorable Jerry Stewart Byrd (Ret.) of Washington, D.C. Her brother, Thomas William Byrd, preceded her in death. Also, nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends. Kish, her granddaughter, resided with her for a decade and provided dedicated care and support.

Lovingly Submitted by The Family