Memorial Services - The Pittmans - St. Louis MO

May 5, 2010 - PRLog -- A memorial service honoring the life achievements of Anne Vasiliy Washington Pittman and Eddie Pittman will take place @1 PM on Saturday afternoon, May 15th, 2010 at A. L. Beal Mortuary, 4746 W. Florissant Avenue, St. Louis MO  63115.



Deaconess Anne W. Pittman, b. 01-14-1908, member of Central Baptist Church (St Louis MO), since August 1931, of several PHA fraternal houses since 1946, and noted local folklorist, joined the ancestors and her musician husband Eddie Pittman (03-02-1905 / 04/14/1965) on Tuesday morning 04,14, 2009 at Beauvais Manor, exactly 44 years to the day he went to be with the Lord.



Rev. William Kelly at New Rehobeth M. B. in Tillatoba MS married them on November 19, 1927.  



She followed her husband to St. Louis MO in April 1928 at the conclusion of the five month term where she taught at the school at St. Elmore, Minter City (Leflore County) MS.  



She had been certified to teach anywhere in the state of MS at age 16, after a mere 2 weeks of a six week normal school instruction period.



She was especially proud that she lived long enough to vote IN PERSON for the first African American President of the United States, after being a registered voter since 1930 while both were members of Rising Star M. B. Church, in south St. Louis MO.



This was at a time when women had been granted suffrage a mere 10 years previously, and nobody who looked like either of them back home in the rural south had the temerity to even think of exercising their civil rights.



They both joined Central Baptist Church in August 1931 and she became quite active in many ministries while her husband was an itinerant-type piano player/musician at many storefront churches.  



Some of those churches were Free Grace M. B., Union Paradise M. B., Mt. Airy M. B., and New North Side, the Pleasant Green Usher Board Male Chorus, as well as the Good News Male Chorus. And many others whose names may well be lost in antiquity after his passing in 1965.



She is probably best known as the oldest graduate of the now defunct Metropolitan College of St. Louis University, having “walked” at age 74, in 1982.



She now lies in quiet repose at Lake Charles Cemetery in the vicinity of her daughter, Andrea (04-10-1948 – 04-26-97) and her mother-in-law, Lizzie Pittman (06-17-1887 / 01-07-1955).