Alhelmina LaMondue's Obituary
Alhelmina Cole LaMondue was born on September 3, 1927, to the Rev. Dr. S. L. Cole & Wilhelmina (nee Ivory), in Cleveland, Ohio, the 4th of 5 siblings and the only girl. Her father was a prominent Pastor & entrepreneur, while her mother was a homemaker and a political/community activist. Affectionately referred to as “Mina,” she was raised in the Miles Heights neighborhood of Cleveland, attending the public schools. The family was tight knit and, because her father pastored two churches simultaneously, Mina led a sheltered life and learned every job in the church, from janitor to Choir Director & Sunday School Superintendent.In 1945, Mina graduated from John Adams High School and wanted to attend Howard University. Her mother got a job at a department store to raise tuition money, with the agreement that Mina would go to college, not fall in love & finish school. Mina went off to Howard, met and immediately fell in love with John Robinson, an attorney, left school and got married. Into this union, three children were born: Sherry (who died as an infant), Cynthia and Lawrence (Rob).Mina moved back to Cleveland in 1951 and later married John Edward “Ed” Cager, Jr. Ed raised Mina’s kids as his own, plus they had two together – Wilhelmina (Pluggie) and John Edward III (John John). Mina went back to school at Western Reserve University and started working in Early Childhood Education, teaching in one of the first Head Start programs in the country. Later on, she taught Early Childhood Education at Glenville High School for several years.In 1977, Mina met E. F. “Frank” LaMondue, Jr., a United States Marshall newly assigned to the Cleveland office. They married on Frank’s birthday in 1979 and relocated to St. Louis, MO for three years before moving to Frank’s hometown, Memphis TN. In their three decades of marriage, Frank successfully turned Mina into a Memphian, integrating her into his family and his church (Mississippi Boulevard), while successfully navigating the details of blending a family. In Memphis, Mina worked as Executive Director of Grandma’s Day Care until her retirement at age 75. Retirement didn’t fit Mina well, however, so she quickly “unretired” and worked for several more years in the Catholic School system.Despite her “sheltered” upbringing, Mina was very, very social and had a large network of friends and extended family members. She loved every sort of social event, from backyard barbecues to Broadway shows, and loved to travel. Mina visited 5 continents and never met a trip she didn’t like. Card parties, Happy Hours, church musicals, Kindergarten programs, Presidential Inaugurations: Mina went anywhere & everywhere . . . and fit in with whoever was there. Mina was “old school,” but not “old thinking” and was able to sustain genuine friendships with people half her age because of her warm spirit and non-judgmental temperament. Her spiritual life mirrored her social life and she made a great many life-long friends through her churches. She was a dedicated attendee at Sunday School and made it to worship services at every opportunity. She had a number of prayer partners around the country. As she aged, she would spend the winter months in Los Angeles and was active in church groups there during her stays.Mina was a joiner, serving as an officer of the National Baptist Youth Convention along with Martin Luther King Jr., founded the Friendship Savings Club, was a PTA leader, a Den Mother, and anything else that needed a leader. Mina especially enjoyed her time as a member of Sisters of the Yam, a national Book Club that travels the world, meeting in exotic locales. She treated all of the members like daughters and anticipated go on their annual excursions.Mina passed from labor to reward on February 17, 2019, after a brief illness. She was preceded in death by her husband, E. “Frank” LaMondue, Jr., daughter Sherry Robinson & son Lawrence Francis Robinson. She leaves to cherish her memory: daughters Cynthia Robinson Oredugba (Olu) of Sherman Oaks, CA & Wilhelmina Cager of Memphis, TN; son The Rev. John E. Cager III (Kinette) of Sherman Oaks, CA; step daughters Renee LaMondue & Stacey L. LaMondue of Memphis, TN, Tracey LaMondue & Jayne Price (Howard) of Maryland; stepson Carl Christian LaMondue, Esq., of Norfolk, VA; grandchildren Myshau Christopher Jordan, Elyone C. LaMondue, Mark Brown, Bridgette Price, Kai Oredugba, David Oredugba, Shelby LaMondue, Noah LaMondue, Kimberly Brooks, Northless Brooks III, Michael Cager, Olayinka Oredugba & Mowunmi Patrick, a number of great grandchildren, extended family and countless friends.There will be a Memorial Service in her honor on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church at 10:00 a.m.Arrangements entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN “A Fitting Farewell for Everyone”
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