Ethel Warren

On Saturday, February 21, 2015, God took a walk through His beautiful garden and looked at it and basked in its beauty. God, being the Master Gardener, looked down and saw a particularly beautiful flower named Ethel. This vision of beauty, elegance and grace was so remarkable that He reached down and plucked it from the rest. God knew He had picked the best!
Elegance, Teacher, Heavenly, Excellence and Love
are words that describe the essence of Ethel M. Warren. She was an extraordinary woman of great faith and character who exuded class, effervescence and humility. All who were blessed to be in Ethels presence were better off after experiencing her exuberance. She was truly refreshinga mere glimpse from Heaven sent to us by God.
Ethel Mae Mathis was born on Friday, June 29, 1934 to Irene Reaves-Mathis and Charlie T. Mathis in Henry County, Alabama. After her mothers untimely passing when Ethel was seven years old, she was raised by her maternal grandmother, Henrietta Reaves and uncle, Robert Reaves. She accepted the Lord as her personal Savior at the age of four. She attended St. Peter A.M.E. Church where she served as a youth bible study teacher, usher, and choir member. Ethel excelled in school as an honor student and athlete. She was an all-state power forward basketball player and served as captain of her team. She graduated from Headland Colored High School in 1951 and was valedictorian of her class. Not only was Ethel smart and agile, she was one of the finest young ladies in Headland, Alabama. So fine, that she accepted two prom datesbecause she could not decide who to take. She decided to go with the gentleman who arrived at her house first. His name was Willie Warren, Jr. Willie, affectionately known as Bubba, was the handsome playboy from Dothan, Alabama that all of the women simply loved. However, it was Ethel who stole his heart. So, at the tender age of seventeen, Ethel married Willie in a ceremony that took place on her grandmothers front porch. They were married for over fifty-eight years. On Tuesday, June 9, 2009, Willie went to be with the Lord.
In 1951, Ethel and Willie moved to Saginaw, Michigan and started a family. She always had a burning desire to teach but opted to begin her career as a wife, mother and homemaker. This constant yearning prompted her to return to college at the age of forty-seven alongside her oldest daughter in 1981. Ethel graduated magna cum laude from Eastern Michigan University where she earned her bachelors and masters degrees in Special Education and Educational Leadership respectively. She was also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Fraternity. Ethels teaching career began in 1986 as a Day Treatment Teacher with the Flint School District. In 1988, she went to work for the Saginaw City School District at Central Middle School as a Special Education Teacher with emphasis in the areas of mathematics and social studies. She also assumed additional career assignments during her tenure in the following areas: Self-contained Classroom Teacher; and Inclusion Teacher for language arts, mathematics, social studies and technology education. She retired from teaching in 1999 after thirteen years of service.
Ethel was a faithful member of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Saginaw, Michigan for sixty years. She served as treasurer for Stewardess Board #1 for sixteen years and had previously served on Usher Board #1 for twenty years. Ethels zeal for life mirrored who she was as a woman. She had a penchant for fashion and was a phenomenal cook. She was also a fantastic bowler and participated in numerous bowling tournaments nationwide. She was a worldwide traveler who embraced life to the fullest. Ethel was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, financier and confidante to many who were blessed by her presence. She made dreams come true for many and always shared her blessings and life experiences with those she loved.
Mrs. Warren leaves behind to carry on her legacy her beloved son, Reginald Renard; three daughters whom she absolutely adored, Beverly Regina, Kendra Tineen, and Rhonda Letitia, who was also her best friend; her granddaughter and absolute pride and joy, Khailia Tarea, who she affectionately called Angel Baby; one sister-in-law, Rose Williams, Detroit, Michigan; two brothers-in-law, Bobby Spann, Oak Park, Michigan and James McClendon, Detroit, Michigan; special cousins, Charles Ed Reeves, Dothan, Alabama and Donnie & Frances Reeves, Jackson, Michigan; three goddaughters, Lisa Jones and Tonja Brown, Saginaw, Michigan; Rita Boston, Detroit, Michigan; two godsons, Paul Clark, Farmington Hills, Michigan; Ron Nolan, Atlanta, Georgia; several nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends throughout the world. Friends deserving special recognition are Mandy Trawick, Orlando, Florida; Katie Shell, Roseville, Michigan; Galina Sasunova, West Bloomfield, Michigan; Charlotte Davidson, Southfield, Michigan; Beatrice & John McAfee, Mary & Richard Wright, Veronica Sentell, Kimberly Butler, Enzell McCollum, Barbara Montgomery, Coy Glass, Melvin Benbow and David Mack of Saginaw, Michigan; Raszie Box, Greenville, Mississippi; Chuck Crouther, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Warren Curtis, Toronto, Ontario. Special families include the Reeves, Williams, Spann, Freeman, Clark, Walker, Conway, Jackson, Hollis, Witherspoon, Cook, Ortega, and Thompson families.
Mrs. Warren was preceded in death by her divine soulmate, Willie Warren, Jr.; parents, Irene and Charlie T. Mathis, Henrietta and Robert Reaves; sister, Mary Alice Hollis; three sisters-in-law, Annie Pearl McClendon, Carrie Neal and Betty Spann; four brothers-in-law, Thomas Hollis, James Warren, James Williams and Leon Neal. Ethels precious body will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Saginaw, Michigan.
Visitation: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - 10:00 a.m.
Bethel AME Church
535 Cathay Street
Saginaw, Michigan
989-755-7011
Funeral Service: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - 11:00 a.m.
Bethel AME Church
535 Cathay Street
Saginaw, Michigan
989-755-7011
Officiating: Pastor P. David Saunders
Interment: Forest Lawn Cemetery