Leona Maple Edwards' Obituary
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Mom — Leona Maple Rackley McCann Edwards
Mom, Leona Maple Rackley McCann Edwards, was born in Winter Garden, Florida, to Charlie James Rackley and Lillie Mae Johnson. From an early age, she was introduced to Christ and was baptized in the lake near the small Baptist church her family faithfully attended.
Mom often spoke with deep pride about her lineage—tracing back to Great-Grandmama Charlotte and Grandmama Emma. Her upbringing was rooted in faith, hard work, and family unity. Through the Great Depression of the 1920s and ’30s, her relatives labored as orange grove pickers, farm hands, and domestic workers. Though times were hard, they remained proud, humble, and abundantly grateful. “Thanks be to God,” she would say.
During the Great Migration, Mom’s mother, Grandmama Lillie, and her stepfather, Louis “Papa” Hunter, moved north to Detroit, following word from Uncle Richmond Whitlock about good factory jobs in what many called “The Promised Land.” Once settled, they sent for the rest of the family. Preferring the calm of rural life, they purchased a home and a few acres in Romulus, Michigan, where they raised chickens, grew vegetables, and canned nearly everything they harvested.
Mom graduated from Romulus High School in 1947 with honors and varsity letters in sports. She was the only Black student in her class for all four years. Though she didn’t often speak about the racism she faced, it was a difficult road. One moment that remained with her was being excluded from her senior class trip simply because “no coloreds” were allowed to stay in the hotel.
She once dreamed of becoming a nurse and enrolled in the Registered Nursing Program at Wayne State University. Though she didn’t complete the program—a decision she rarely discussed—the heart of a caregiver never left her. Mom poured her energy into other forms of service: raising her children with love and strength, contributing to her community, and working across multiple public service institutions. And in a beautiful full-circle moment, one of her beloved granddaughters became a Nurse Practitioner, carrying on that dream with compassion, skill, and grace.
Mom married her childhood sweetheart, Ernest McCann (now deceased), in the late 1940s. Together they had three children: Theresa Gail, Julius Glenn (who preceded her in death), and Ernest Terry. Sixteen years later, that marriage ended, and in 1966, she married Homer Edwards Jr. (also deceased). From that union came three more children: Lynda Darnell, Jeryl Lynn, and Sherry Elaine.
Driven, self-motivated, and never one to sit still, Mom was always enrolled in a class, working part-time, or seeking to grow. She returned to school later in life and earned a 4.0 GPA from Detroit College of Business, where she was inducted into the Alpha Gamma Iota Honorary Society.
Mom dedicated her professional life to civil service. She worked for the city, state, and federal government, including the Wayne County Clerk’s Office. She volunteered with the League of Women Voters, Women’s Conferences, city elections, and the Detroit Urban League. Her final and longest employment was with the Detroit Police Department’s Telephone Crime Reporting Section, where she served for eight years until her retirement following a heart attack. Even then, she continued giving back—volunteering 20 hours a week until she was no longer able.
Faith remained a steady presence in Mom’s life. Though she admitted straying from church teachings during her adult years, she later repented and, by God’s grace, chose to be baptized again. Throughout her life, she worshipped wherever she lived—from a little Baptist church in Florida to her uncle’s Church of God in Christ in Detroit, and eventually to New St. Paul Church of God in Christ with her mother. After the passing of her oldest son, she moved back to the east side and began worshiping at Calvary Baptist Church, where she officially joined under Pastor Lawrence T. Foster. There she remained active, nourished, and loved by the Body of Christ.
“May I Go Now?”
Don’t you think the time is right?
May I say goodbye to any pain-filled days or endless nights?
I have lived my life and done my best, an example tried to be.
So can I take this step beyond and set my spirit free?
I didn’t want to go, at first, I fought with all my might!
But something seems to draw me now to a warm and loving light.
I want to go! I really do! It’s difficult to stay.
But I will try as best I can to live just one more day
To give you time to care for me And share your love and quiet your fears,
I know you are sad and afraid
Because I see your tears.
I’ll not be far, I promise that, and hope you’ll always know
That my spirit will be close to you wherever you may go.
Thank you so, for loving me, you know I loved you too.
That’s why it’s hard to say goodbye and end this life with you.
So hold me now, just one more time, and let me hear you say
Because you care so much for me, you’ll let me go today.
"I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." — St. John 11:25–26
She Leaves to Cherish Her Memory:
● Her beloved children: Ernest Terry McCann (Helen) – Detroit, MI Lynda Darnell Vidot (Scott) – Altamonte Springs, FL Jeryl Lynn Edwards – Detroit, MI Sherry Elaine Edwards – Detroit, MI (Theresa Gail Overton and Julius Glenn McCann preceded her in death)
● Nine grandchildren: William Overton Jr., Rachael McCann, Stephanie McCann, Nathan McCann, Salimah McCann, Alexis C. Vidot, Anthony Vidot, Abdul S. Talib, Mia LaRose Ramsey
● Eight great-grandchildren: Amari, Sky, Rhese, River, Forest, Sage, Jeremiah, and Josiah
● Sister: Annie Ruth Crumb (Cathryn Jackson preceded her in death)
● Two nieces: Debra Rena Hughes (Everett) and Cynthia Hicks (Sal)
● Three nephews: Henry Fields (Ann), Michael Fields (Lisa), and James Crumb (Louis Anthony Fields also preceded her in death)
● Extended family: A host of great nieces and nephews, her Calvary family, and beloved neighbors at Elmwood Towers, who went out of their way to show her love.
What’s your fondest memory of Leona?
What’s a lesson you learned from Leona?
Share a story where Leona's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Leona you’ll never forget.
How did Leona make you smile?