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Stella Mae McGuire Wilson was born May 15, 1925 in Selma, Alabama to the late Willie and Mary (Murry) McGuire. After a long and wonderful life, God called Stella home on the evening of Thursday, October 29, 2020.
As a young child, Stella was raised by her grandparents on the family farm, learning to cook home grown vegetables and make delicious jelly, jams and preserves. Stella was a good student who attended Shiloh Junior High. Her interest and hobbies included sports, sewing and music. She received her high school diploma from The Knox Academy in Selma, Alabama in June of 1944. Like many young people of her generation, Stella had a desire to leave the country life and move to the city. In 1945, she followed her sister, brothers and cousins north and eventually moved in with her aunt and uncle and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In her early years in Cincinnati, Stella worked a variety of jobs including the Sydney Thomas Paper Factory, The Adler Company as a knitting machine operator and the Kenner Toy Factory in the assembly department. Stella moved into long term employment at The U.S. Playing Card Company in Norwood, Ohio, retiring in 1985.
Stella met the love of her life, Willie Wilson when they both worked at the same local company. Willie wrote to her father to ask for her hand in marriage. After receiving her father’s blessing, they united in holy matrimony on December 24, 1946 (Christmas Eve). To this union came four children: Willie, Deborah, Garry and Lynette.
Stella was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Willie Wilson of 69 years; her son, Garry Lewis Wilson; her parents, Willie Virge McGuire and Mary Murry McGuire; sister, Elouise Pugh; and brother, Willie McGuire.
Stella leaves to cherish her memory: three loving children, Willie (Donna) Wilson, Deborah (Joseph) Calloway and Lynette Wilson; daughter-in-law, Darlene Wilson; 10 grandchildren, DeLeon, Quincy, LaVar, Joseph, Jamela, Jennifer, Ahmad, Brandon, Ashley and Greg; 16 great-grand-children and six great-great-grandchildren; sister, Dorothy Blackmon of Cincinnati, Ohio; brother, Leon McGuire of Detroit, Michigan; and brothers, Leroy and Roosevelt Byrd of Selma, Alabama.
Stella was a wonderful mother who was devoted to her family, children and grandchildren. You could always depend on a spectacular meal with all the trimmings. She was an avid gardener that raised a variety of vegetables, flowers and house plants every summer. She canned her own vegetables and continued making delicious jams and preserves. She loved experimenting with new recipes and her cookies, cakes and pies were legendary. Some of her other hobbies included sewing and crocheting. She enjoyed traveling to family reunions and going on family vacations.
Stella was raised in a Christian home and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ at an early age, joining the Gaines Chapel A.M.E. Church in Sardis, Alabama. Always faithful, she attended several churches throughout her lifetime. But becoming a member of Greater Emanuel Apostolic Temple brought her heart closest to God. Stella and Willie immersed themselves in the Greater Emanuel community. They renewed their vows to each other and attended a variety of church functions and programs. Stella also became a member of the Ladies Choir.
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