Hester Singleton Loney

December 9, 1922 - January 2, 2016

Hester Loney was born December 9, 1922 in Sumter, South Carolina, to parents Willie and Georgiana Singleton. She was the second born of the couples’ four children. Hester received her education at St. Luke’s Primary School in Sumter. In 1940, she moved to New York City to join her older sister Maggie Coats and worked in the Garment District. She later worked as a long-time housekeeper (or domestic) for multiple families in NYC who saw her as a member of their extended family. Hester met and was united in holy matrimony with Samuel Loney in 1946. From this union they were blessed with four daughters and one son, which were the joys of their lives. She would frequently return home to Sumter to spend time with her mother and family, as she was very close to them all. Hester’s religious education started at St. Luke’s A.M.E. in Sumter. After moving to New York, she attended and later joined Mount Calvary Baptist Church where she served on the Usher Board and Gospel Choir. In 1965, the family moved to St. Albans, Queens and joined Grace United Methodist Church. She served on the Dorcas Circle-United Methodist Women and the Women’s Day Committee and was actively committed to the building of the new sanctuary. She remained a faithful member until her health forced her to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia in 2013. Hester was known for her straightforward, honest and outspoken way of telling it like it is as well as her class, style, conscientiousness, cooking and homemaking skills. She was always quick to offer her support to neighbors and members of her church family in need without judgment. To her children and grandchildren Hester was more than a matriarch. For them she was a teacher, a spiritual leader, a tiebreaker, a disciplinarian, a financial advisor, a confidant, a comforter, a cheerleader, a playmate and sometimes even a healer (as far as she was concerned, most things could be cured with a good chicken soup, rest and a few doses of Robitussin). Hester loved gospel music, and enjoyed the occasional dramatic TV series. She could even be caught at times “participating” with some of her favorite programs like The Wheel of Fortune, dancing along with Ellen and listening intently to Dr. Phil. During her many years in this life she witnessed major change to the world around her from the civil rights movement to the election of our country’s first African-American president. Through it all she remained steadfast and rooted in her values and faith in God. On January 2, 2016 at 2:35 PM, God dispatched an angel who whispered into Hester’s ear “there shall be no more pain and suffering, take your rest faithful servant.” She joined her husband, loving parents; sister, Maggie Coats; and brother, Willie Singleton. Hester will be sorely missed by her sister, Addell Dicks, Sumter, SC; brother, Woodrow (Shirley) Singleton, Bronx, NY; daughters, Lillian Golson, Albany, GA, Hester Dowdy-Sow, Georgiana Loney, both of Atlanta, GA, and Carolyn Tyler, Brooklyn, NY; one son, Samuel Loney. Jr, St. Albans, Queens, NY; four grandsons; five granddaughters; three great-grandsons; four great granddaughters and a host of nephews, nieces and friends.