Mrs. Elnora McCoy Gilliam

SHREVEPORT, LA
 

Mrs. Elnora (McCoy) Gilliam transitioned serenely from this life on Monday, October 10, 2016, at the behest of God, and in the presence and witness of her sons and daughter. A lifelong resident of Shreveport, Louisiana, Mrs. Gilliam was the third of eight children born to the union of her father, Mr. Enix McCoy, Sr., and mother, Mrs. Mary (Baines) McCoy.

Mrs. Gilliam formally received her primary and secondary education in the Caddo Parish Public School System—attending and graduating from Central Colored High School in 1945. She subsequently attended Wiley College in Marshall, Texas where she received her initial undergraduate degree. It indeed served as a career-impetus for realizing her childhood ambition and passion of becoming a teacher and educator of youth. Her continued desire for greater knowledge and improvement led to a second undergraduate degree from Grambling State University and eventually to her earning a master's degree in education from Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. Her preparation served her well and she was duly rewarded through the lives of the many students she touched in her career as a teacher for the Caddo Parish School Board, having provided over thirty-seven years of dedicated and committed instruction.

Mrs. Gilliam harbored a strong belief and faith in God and was baptized into Christ at an early age where she remained faithful until her demise. She was a member of the Hearne Avenue Church of Christ where she worshipped in her declining years. She served faithfully as member and wife to her husband, who was minister of the Southside Church of Christ in Marshall, Texas for over fifty-two years.

A public viewing will be held Friday, October 14, 2016, from twelve o'clock until three o'clock in the afternoon at the Heavenly Gates Funeral Home located at 1399 Jewell Street, Shreveport, LA, 71101.

An additional public viewing will be held at the Southside Church of Christ later, the same day, from six o'clock until eight o'clock in the evening. The church sanctuary is located at 900 Elysian Fields Avenue, Marshall, TX, 75670.

Funeral services will be held on, Saturday, October 15, 2016, at the Hearne Avenue Church of Christ, 6540 Hearne Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana, 71108, at 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon.

Burial will be Monday, October 17, 2016, eleven o'clock in the morning, at the Northwest Louisiana Veteran's Cemetery in Keithville, LA.

Mrs. Elnora Gilliam is survived by her husband of sixty-five years, Mr. John Gilliam, Jr. of Shreveport, LA; two sons, Dr. Oliver D. Gilliam (Cheryl) of South Bend, IN, Mr. John Gilliam, III (Sherry) of Rancho Cucamonga, CA; one daughter, Mary Lynn A. Gilliam of Fontana, CA; three granddaughters, Tiffany A. Gilliam of South Bend, IN, Gabrielle O. Gilliam of Chicago, IL, Mrs. Camille A. Burnley (Marlon) of Athens, GA; one grandson, John Gilliam, IV of Rancho Cucamonga, CA; one sister, Mrs. Arizona Lloyd (Al) of Shreveport, LA; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

The family wishes to express its sincere thanks and gratitude to the entire staff at Willis-Knighton Medical Center-North for the kind and compassionate care provided through the duration of our mother's illness. A special thanks is also extended to the in-home caregivers who have provided essential support and tireless effort over the years.

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