Verlalia Louise Lewis was born on July 29, 1956. Verlalia, who was fondly referred to as "V" by her close friends and "Wado" by her family, was born in Kansas City, MO to the union of Edward D. Lewis and Joyce V. Lewis.

She attended Sanford B. Ladd Elementary, Martin Luther King Junior High and graduated from Center Senior High School in Kansas City, Missouri in 1974. She continued her higher education receiving a degree in Home Economics and her minor in Business from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, TX in 1978. "V" has an MBA in International Business from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX. She loved to travel, the beach life, and shopping. She had a desire to retire in the beautiful United States territory of Saipan, located in the western Pacific Ocean, where she had visited for an extended period of time, and had already formed friendships.

Verlalia spent the past 20 years as a Hazard Mitigation Grant Specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In this work, she was able to fulfill a passion of helping others, particularly those that were most dire in their needs. She traveled the United States in this role but most of her assignments were in the southern region of the country in and around New Orleans. "V" was also a trained massage therapist specializing in reflexology, Reiki Energy Balancing, Deliberate Breathing Techniques and Angel Card Readings. She was a published author and was featured in the book "Many Paths, Many Feet, an Anthology of Women's Stories" as well as being profiled in "Life as a Human", a Human Interest Magazine for Evolving Minds.

Verlalia had a playful sense of humor and had nicknames for practically everyone she interacted with. Though she was a Missouri native, she fell in love with Texas and considered herself a true Texan and had an impressive collection of cowboy boots that she proudly wore practically everywhere she went.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward Davis Lewis and Joyce Voncelle Lewis and her brother Ronald Barry Lewis (Speedy). She leaves behind to celebrate her life, her siblings, Patricia Wallace, Rose Lewis-Whitman, a sister-in-law, Lillian Lewis, Dwayne Lewis (Helen), Michael Lewis (Rhonda), Edward Lewis, JoAnn Lewis and James Lewis. Some of "Wado's" favorite people though, were her 14 nieces and nephews, who allowed her to be the "Cool Aunt". Verlalia had a host of great nieces and nephews that mourn her loss. During her final days, she was lovingly cared for by her Aunt Shirley and Uncle Lawrence Footman.

Verlalia departed this life on Saturday, October 5th and is now resting peacefully in the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She will be sorely missed by all that knew and loved her.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 A.M., Friday, October 25, 2024, in the chapel of Bill DeBerry Funeral Directors.

If you were unable to attend the service, you can view the service recording by clicking the link below:

Verlalia Lewis - Bill DeBerry Funeral Directors on Vimeo

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Harvesters Community Food Network at Harvesters.org/site/donation