Idella White

Idella Dyson-White (Grandma Aunt Idella) of Bay City, MI. Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend transitioned peacefully at home with family on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the age of 80. She was born January 22, 1930, in Mason, Tennessee, daughter of Hayes B. and Martha E. Dyson. Idella retired from the Bay City Public School District after teaching for 23 years. She was a faithful member of Gethsamene Missionary Baptist Church where she served in many auxiliaries as a teacher, president, trustee, administrator, youth director, advisor, secretary, and choir member. She also taught with the Saginaw Valley District Congress of Education, Saginaw Valley Association Youth Department and American Baptist Theological Seminary. Idella was an activist and current President of the Bay City NAACP. She was one of the founders of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship and Black History Programs. Other community service memberships included Women Crisis Center, Church Women United, Selection Committee for Habitat for Humanity, President of the Harambee Center Board, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Gamma Phi Sigma Chapter; Professional Sorority of Phi Beta Sigma and Phi Delta Sigma. She received numerous awards over the years for her outstanding dedication and service. Her love for others, especially children, was endless. She loved to read, play games, sing, play and listen to music.
Idella leaves to cherish her memory two daughters, Marcia Joy Prince and Donna Sullivan; two grandsons, Michael L. (Kelly) White, and Cameron T. Sullivan, and two great-grandchildren, Michael J. and Kristyn White all of Bay City, MI; three sisters and ten brothers, a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, godchildren, and special friends.