Obituary of Luella E. Page

Luella Bert Page, 95, was born on November 26, 1928 and went home to be with the Lord on August 17, 2024.  She was the oldest matriarch of the family and is the mother of 18 children.  She is the widow of Paul Page, who she married in 1985.  She was predeceased by her children Michael Williams, Charles Williams, Robert Williams, Fatih Ameen and Delina Williams.  She is survived by her children Ernest Williams, Billy Williams (Mercedes), Harold Williams (Antoinette), Ronald Williams (June), Thomas Bert (Charlotte), Desiree Haynie, Luella Parker, Roberta Williams, Viola Bert, Jennie Chambers (Clifton), Thomasina Bailey, Diana Bowens (Stanley) and April King.  She is also survived by over 300 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. 

Luella was born in Long Island, and is a proud African American and descendent of the Shinnecock Indian Nation tribe.  She moved to Brooklyn, and then to the Richmond Town/Great Kills area of Staten Island in 1959, where she raised most of her children. Then she moved to Stapleton, followed by the West Brighton Houses, where she lived for over 20 years.  After suffering a stroke in 2016, her daughters cared for her until she moved in with her son Harold and daughter-in-law Antoinette in 2018.  They cared for her until she passed.

Luella had a passion for the Lord and had been a member of Shiloh AME Church in Staten Island for many years, where she joyfully sang in the choir, and more recently, was a member of New Hope Church.  During her latter years she was blessed with the peace to be able to do the things she loved every day.  Eating Haagen-Dazs ice cream was her favorite pastime.  If you wanted an instant smile, all you had to do was hand her a pint of Haagen-Dazs.  Mom liked food in general - she loved to eat!  Mom also loved getting little kisses on her cheek.  All she would have to do is point to her cheek and you knew what she wanted.  After she got her kiss she would grab your hand, squeeze it tight, and have the biggest smile of love on her face. She found immense peace listening to the Bible verses on YouTube.  She watched Mahalia Jackson videos and reruns of Sanford and Sons, Good Times and The Andy Griffith Show.  At times she was so engrossed with the shows that you could wave your hand in front of her and she would not even see you.  You had to wait for the commercial to come on and then speak to her! She loved playing Tic-Tac-Toe and War, and of course winning!  She even found pleasure in just listening to the regular stories of your day when you got home and looking at pictures on your phone.  She enjoyed all her virtual and in-person visits with her family.  She was at peace when Bible verses were read to her during in-person visits and FaceTime calls.  She enjoyed singing along to her favorite hymns, and then was often lulled to sleep when the hymns were sung to her at the end of a FaceTime call.  She was constantly prayed for and prayed over in her home.

Luella leaves behind a countless number of memories for us to cherish.  If you knew her, you loved her more than words can express.  As a young mother, she is fondly remembered for writing Bible verses on little pieces of paper every single morning, for each one of her children, every single day of their school career.  She stuck the papers in their pockets as they left out of the front door, whether they wanted them or not.  She is remembered for making bowties for her sons to wear in their class picture.  She showed up for nearly every one of her children’s performances.  She supported their endeavors with her whole heart and prayers.  As a grandmother, she welcomed two of her grandchildren into her home and raised them. 

Words cannot express how much Luella was, and still is, deeply loved, and how much she will be missed.  Please join us for the visitation at Matthew Funeral Home on Friday, August 23^rd from 5:00-8:00pm.  Funeral service will be held at the funeral home on Saturday, August 24^th from 9:00 – 11:15am, with interment to follow at Woodland Cemetery.