Eliza Belle Lomax

Ella Mae White of Chatham, Virginia welcomed the birth of her daughter Eliza Belle White-Lomax on March 16, 1938. Eliza’s education began in the Pittsylvania County school districts where she attended Slowland Elementary and Gretna High School. With her family’s relocation to Montross, Virginia, she sought to enroll at A.T. Johnson High School at the age of 17. This was a significant and progressive milestone not only in her education but the educational system itself, as her enrollment initiated the recognition of the twelfth grade as completion of high school in a system that formally ended after the eleventh grade year; making her the first and only twelfth grade student in her graduating class.
An intelligent, dedicated student, and role model for her classmates, she made her confession of faith accepting Jesus Christ as her savior and was baptized at Fairview Baptist Church. Later, upon her return to Virginia as an adult, she joined Grant Hill Church in Leedstown, serving as Secretary of Finance for many years.
After high school, Eliza left Virginia for Washington, DC where she worked at the National Bank. It was during her tenure there, that she realized her passion for professional driving, eventually applying and being selected by The Metropolitan Transit Department as the second female bus driver employed in the city.
Eliza was joined in matrimony to Theodore Paul Lomax at the Cathedral Church in Washington, DC in 1970. This union gave birth to a lovely daughter Leslie Ann Lomax named for Eliza’s two best friends Leslie and Ann Wilson. Always forward looking, the family purchased a new home in Oak Grove, Virginia where Eliza began her employment at the Naval Service Warfare Center in 1974. While working as Secretary and Motor Vehicle Operator in The Transportation Department and being known as an operator with the ability to drive anything with wheels, she obtained her Commercial Drivers’ License (CDL) and became the company’s first female driver.
This licensure and additional certification enabled her to operate more complex vehicles transporting explosive equipment and machinery to Wallops Island, a responsibility requiring skillful operations and navigation over both the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay Bridges. In 1994 she retired after twenty years’ service and began working for the King George County School Systems where she celebrated her second retirement in 2014 after serving in various capacities including School Bus Driver, Special Vehicles Operator for the Disabled which required special training, Dispatcher and Hospitality Service Provider.
Always a loving and caring individual with great admiration for family, she spent summer months in North Carolina with her adorable grandchildren Isaiah III, Summer and Savannah; who addressed her as “Mother-in-Law” following the example given by their father Isaiah Boyd, II. She shared in many momentous occasions, being present during the first months of her granddaughters’ lives even putting her professional driving skills on display by providing instruction and assisting Summer with obtaining her first drivers license.
As one who instilled family values and served as a mother figure to many, she took great joy in organizing and participating in family events. This joy lead her to spearhead the development and construction of the first White Family Reunion. The monumental event was attended by more than 150 guests.
Eliza was an avid sports enthusiast; but professional football was her favorite, with her most cherished team being her hometown heroes, the Washington Redskins. Her game room paid homeage to “The Hogs” with a Wall of Fame and other artifacts honoring Joe Theismann, John Riggins and Doug Williams. Her sports energy always intensified during the Superbowl and the fierce rivalry between her Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys.
Eliza Bell White-Lomax was a trustworthy woman of integrity who would frequently and without complaint go out of her way to assist others expecting no recognition or reward. She met no strangers and built strong friendships with members of her community whose bonds lasted until her final hours. To be in her presence was always a pleasantly delightful experience.
Her last days were spent assisting family members as she had come to be known as a dependable assistant providing administrative support with the completion of various government documents. Heaven’s gain leaves an earthly void, but the family of Eliza Belle White-Lomax will eternally remember her angelic presence as her legacy is carried by those who remain that knew and loved her.