Felishia V. Wells

Early on Saturday, November 25, 2017, our mother was unexpectantly taken home.

Felishia Verdena Wells was born on August 1, 1931, in Caroline County, Virginia. She was the baby daughter of the late Graham and Ivy Smith. She was preceded in death by eight siblings. At an early age she was baptized at Jericho Baptist Church and later she sang in the choir at St. John Baptist Church. In her later years, she joined and sang in the choir at Mt. Jezreel Baptist Church.

She married the late Howard Coleman in 1947 and to this union was born five children. Later she relocated to Washington, DC. She worked various jobs, sometimes two at a time, as a single parent to support her family. Dee was always a hard worker and instilled in her children the need to work hard. In an effort to move her five children from Virginia to live with her, who were being raised by her parents, God sent her two Angels, Philip (known as Bub) and Catherine Long who adopted her and her five children into their family. Mrs. Long’s famous words were “Bub, get in the car and go get them children”.

After she got an apartment, the family in Virginia evidently thought she had a large house
because as their kids graduated from high school the family said “go to Washington and let Verdena help you find a job”. So many cousins and friends passed through that two-bedroom apartment. There are so many memories from those years. So much love for family.
She loved her family and was the fun of family gatherings. She was a great cook and whenever family visited, her first thought was to start cooking. She loved feeding anyone that walked in the door, especially the men.

In her hometown in Virginia she was known as “Verdena”. She worked as a secretary for various construction companies in the Washington, DC area where they nicknamed her “Smitty”. Later she was given the name “Dee Dee” by her best friend Groslyn who was known as “Gee Gee”. From that point on she was known as “Dee” by her children and friends, except for Theodore. He continued to call her Mama. Weather it was Verdena, Smitty, Dee Dee or Dee, people always loved being in her presence because she talked much trash.

In 1985 she married Samuel Wells who preceded her in death. They were married for over twenty years. Her marriage to Samuel included three step-children.

She loved her Block 12 neighbors and was a babysitter to many of the neighboring families. She worked at Jessie LaSalle Elementary School in the Lamond Riggs area as a volunteer where she could keep an eye on her grandkids. She loved her children and grands. They were her life.
She leaves to cherish her memory, two siblings: Mary Dudley of Woodford, VA (with whom she shared a special bond) and Harry Smith (Mary) of Ruther Glen, VA; five children: Gloria Simpson of Clinton, MD; Howard Coleman, Barbara Coleman, and Mildred Carroll of Washington, DC; and Janice Coleman of Hyattsville, MD; five grandchildren: Raquel Harrison, Rodney Coleman, Richard Carroll (known as Scotty), Robert Coleman (known as Chris) and Roxanne Coleman; five great-grandchildren: Tamika, Tre, Charley, Xeyani, and Taj; two great-great-grandchildren, Eli and Serenity; a close friend and cousin, Eugene Minor, with whom she shared daily morning and night phone calls; along with a host of other relatives and friends.