Alice Conyers

A Time to Be Born

Alice Virginia Parks was born on May 5th, 1930, to the late Ernest and Lura Parks in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. She was the fifth of six children.                                                                   

A Time to Learn

Alice’s early education was in Wilkesboro, N.C. She and her family moved to New York when she was a teenager. Alice was a proud graduate of Wadleigh High School, which at that time was an all-female student body.

A Time to Love

Alice met and fell in love with Leroy Conyers of Manning, S.C.

They were married on January 25th,1949, in New York City. From this union, three daughters and four sons were born. Stephanie, Loretta, Leroy Jr., Julia, Calvin, Charles, and Mark.

She called them her seven blessings. She always put their well-being first and herself last. Her children recall that she was known to be able to “stretch a dollar.”

A Time to Live

Alice was considered by all who met her to be a beautiful woman inside and out. For a time after high school, she modeled for Clairol’s hair color line. She always had a voracious appetite for reading books and the newspaper, solving crossword puzzles, sketching, and listening to classical music.

Coming from a family of seamstresses, she learned quickly how to sew and could make everything from head to toe. She taught herself how to knit and crochet with the best of them. Her work could be deemed professional, and her favorite passion was knitting and crocheting blankets, hats, sweaters, and dresses. She often donated baby blankets and clothing to local hospitals.

Alice would often be seen with her seven children, making their way to Mt. Olive Church in Central Harlem for Sunday service and various programs. She was also brave enough to travel with all seven children on the NYC subway from Harlem to Brooklyn to visit her mom and sister.

A Time to Mourn

On Monday, October 13th, at 7:47 p.m., a golden heart stopped beating, and hardworking hands lay at rest as “Sister Alice” was called home to receive her reward. She was preceded in death by her parents, five siblings, Dwight, Julius, Bishop Joseph Parks, Bertha, and Cornelia. Also, two daughters, Julia (1993), Loretta (2010), and two sons, Leroy Jr. (2004,) Charles (1989), one granddaughter, Lisa, two grandsons, both named Michael, one great-grandson, Robert Raymond, two sons-in-law, Gil Southerland Sr., and Robert Jones.

Alice leaves to cherish their memories of her: Her devoted son, Mark Conyers (Marion) of Palm Bay, Fl., who cared for her for many years, her loving son, Calvin Conyers of Fl., her loving daughter, Stephanie Hammie (Raymond) of Fl., her grandchildren, Michael M. Conyers, of N.J., Mark V. Conyers (Rashida) of NYC, Julyah Hammie of Fl., Jermaine Hammie and fiancée Shawnell of N.Y., Jonathan McKoy (Tonya) of N.C., Rashaad Hammie of Fl., Rasheeda Hammie of Fl., Jamal  Hammie and fiancée Christina of Fl., Dr. Briana Young (Gene)of Illinois., Gil Southerland Jr. of N.Y., Zoelayma Dillard of NY, Jumel Dillard of NY,

She was a great-grandmother to twenty-eight and a great-great-grandmother to four. Alice was a devoted mother, sister, sister-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother to many, and will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her.

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