Myra and Kevin


a mEMORIAL



REMEMBERing THE SHOULDERS ON WHICH WE STAND



mRS. aDa r. McAFEE (1922 - 2012)





Kevin's Maternal Grandmother. A wonderful woman of God. Born and raised in Rankin County, Mississippi. At an early age she confessed Christ and joined Sandhill Missionary Baptist Church. She was a faithful Christian, which was reflected through her daily living, and exemplified through her service to the church.


A long time educator, our grandmother was committed to early childhood education. Her husband, Archie McAfee, a carpenter and painter, preceded her in death. They were married for 54 years.


She was committed to serving her community. As part of her community service, she was an advocate for the right to vote. Throughout the Civil Rights era, she enhanced voter registration by working the election polls for many years. Moreover, even during her illness, it was important to her that she exercised her right to vote by absentee ballot. She loved Christ and her family. We were blessed to have her with us on our special day as she traveled up from Mississippi.



Mr. Lawrence E. Miller (1940 - 2014)





Dad. Lawrence Miller was born in Anniston, Alabama where he lived in the family home, growing up on 16th Street. He accepted Jesus Christ at an early age while attending Mt. Olive Baptist Church. A U.S. Army veteran, he served both active duty and in the reserves.


After leaving the military, Lawrence decided to reside in New York City. A hard working person since his youth, Lawrence always seemed to be able to secure employment opportunities. He began working first with the United States Postal Service followed by a short stint with the New York Transit Authority. However, it was after taking the Police Officer exam that Lawrence found his life’s calling. He passed the exam and became a New York City Police Officer, Shield Number 305. After just a short time on the job, Lawrence accepted the opportunity to transfer to the Department of Corrections.


For more than 30 years, Lawrence worked for the Department of Corrections at New York City’s Rikers Island. As a result of Lawrence’s high professional standards, his Shield Number 305 was officially retired by the Deputy Commissioner of the City of New York. He adored us and more importantly, he adored his two Grand~babies!

Hey Dad, we'll talk...



mrs. Sarah A. Linen (1942 - 2020)





Our Mom, Sarah Ann Grate Linen, was the third child, and oldest girl born to the late Richard Grate, Sr. and Ollie Belle Holmes Grate (pictured above, who turned 100 on December 25, 2020 and is still with us today). Mommy was born in the Dunbar Community of Georgetown, South Carolina where she met and married Daddy (Paul Linen). They migrated to NYC and made a home for their family there until God called him home in August of 1981, leaving her with four children to care for. For the next 40 years, Sarah took her dual role as “mom and dad” very seriously. She gave her full heart to her children each and every day, at times working multiple jobs just to make sure they lacked for nothing.


Sarah did not hoard this generosity just for her children. Her care and compassion for others was truly evidenced in her life-long career choice as a Certified Medical Assistant in group homes, specializing in clients with special needs. Giving of herself was just who she was. So much so that some of her clients became staples at our family gatherings. She truly lived to love and care for others, and tried to encourage these same traits in everyone that she influenced.


If you knew Sarah even briefly, you knew that she loved God, loved her family, and loved to cook! Cooking was her “love language”. She always took great pride in people enjoying her food. She eventually allowed us to turn her passion to profit as the Executive Chef for Chosen for Service Enterprises - Catering by Sarah. For almost 20 years, she led our catering team for weddings, parties, fraternity/sorority events, and more.


Our Mom was the last of this great trio to take her rest, called home just last year during the pandemic. Even as we continue to grapple with her loss, we feel blessed that she gave us a “Sweet 16 Anniversary Party” four years ago. This was just one more example of her willingness to give of herself to make her loved ones happy. We love and miss her so very much, but thank God for her always.



from the very beginning ... God has blessed us...