Our St. Martin family Member, Alversa Milan, has made her way Home.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 11, 2014 from 5-8:00 P.M. at Thatcher's Funeral Home, Inc., Chapel, 1520 North 5th Street, Kansas City, Kansas
and
Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 1-2:00 P.M. at St. Paul Episcopal Church, 1300 North 18th Street, Kansas City, Kansas.
Religious Service will follow at 2:00 P.M. at the Church
Interment: Monday, April 14, 2014 at 10:00 A.M. at Highland Park Cemetery, Kansas City, Kansas.
Alversa B. Milan passed away the morning of April 5, 2014 at age 80 after a three-year valiant battle with ovarian cancer. She was surrounded at her passing by her immediate family singing one of the family’s favorite Episcopal hymns. Mrs. Milan was a civic and church leader, and married for 59 years to Rev. Dr. Jesse Milan, the first African American public school teacher in Lawrence, Kansas. A tireless volunteer leader, Mrs. Milan co-founded in 1988 the Kansas City chapter of Mother to Mother Ministry, a non-profit organization providing faith-based mentoring and services to disadvantaged mothers and their families. She served as chairman of its board of directors and on its board for over 20 years. A longtime Episcopalian, Mrs. Milan was involved for many years in Church Women United as Kansas City, KS serving as chapter president, vice president and treasurer; and served a term as the state president. She was also state chair of the Kansas chapter of the United Thank Offering for the Episcopal Church. To share with the world her success nurturing her own four children, she wrote and published in 2013 her book titled “Raising Children is Easy as 1, 2, 3.” It presents her gentle timeless philosophy and guidance for raising children to become productive thoughtful adult citizens. With her personal passion for the development and well-being of children and youth of all backgrounds, Mrs. Milan; co-founded The Children’s Hour, a trailblazing integrated preschool for underprivileged children in Lawrence; and co-founded also the Lawrence Branch of Concerned Black Parents (LBCBP) in the early 1960s. She served also on the Lawrence Public Library Board. She and her family resided in Lawrence during Dr. Milan’s historic public school teaching career from 1954 to 1971. For their civic and social justice work in Lawrence, Dr. and Mrs. Milan received together the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the LBCBP in 1973. She moved with her family to Kansas City, KS in 1971. She was on the altar guild at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence and at Church of the Ascension Episcopal Church in Kansas City, KS, and a layreader at St. Martin in the Field Episcopal Church in Edwardsville, KS where she was a member for the last 20 years. She served also as vice president of the Northeast Kansas City chapter of Optimist International from 1999-2002. Alversa Brewster Milan was born January, 25, 1934, in St. Louis, MO, and attended Vashon High School graduating in 1950. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1955 with a degree in Occupational Therapy, and was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority serving for 16 years as the undergraduate advisor for the chapter at KU. She worked professionally as an occupational therapist at the Veterans Administration during the 1950s and 1960s in Topeka, KS, and at the Bess Stone Activity Center in Lawrence. She rose to the executive position of Assistant Chief of Domiciliary Operations at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, KS serving for seven years until retiring in 1976.
Mrs. Milan is survived by her husband, Rev. Dr. Jesse Milan, of 59 years whom she supported in all his civic and social justice work; their son Jesse Milan, Jr. and his spouse Bill Roberts of Ellicott City MD, son John Edward Milan and his partner Aleya Collidge of Los Angeles, CA; daughter Julie Ann Milan of Kansas City, KS, and daughter Joy Lynne Milan and her husband Jon Walls of Torrance, CA; and by two beautiful granddaughters Milana Walls and Courtney Walls. She was predeceased by her mother Alverta McField, father Raymond Brewster, stepfather Silas McField and three brothers Earl Brewster, Harold Brewster and Oliver Brewster. She is survived also by her sister Marilyn McField Brashears and a brother Quinton McField; sisters-in law and brothers-in-law; and a host of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Her survivors also include colleagues from numerous faith and civic organizations that adored her humility, grace and lifelong belief stated in her book that “No matter how little you have, there is still enough to share.” In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be sent in her honor to Mother to Mother Ministry, Inc. P.O. Box 12845, Kansas City, KS 66112.
Home
© Malcolm D Warren
When God reached down
And collected her soul
She reached up knowing
She had to go
Slipping away peacefully
Her body remained
One final look back
She smiled
Reaching home again
A place she’d forgot
Past memories came flooding
With splendor and awe
God gave back sights
We can not imagine
She finally found
Her home Heaven
We remember her daily
She does the same
We Love her always
It will never change
When it’s my time to go
There is one thing I know
That she will be smiling
All the way home
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 11, 2014 from 5-8:00 P.M. at Thatcher's Funeral Home, Inc., Chapel, 1520 North 5th Street, Kansas City, Kansas
and
Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 1-2:00 P.M. at St. Paul Episcopal Church, 1300 North 18th Street, Kansas City, Kansas.
Religious Service will follow at 2:00 P.M. at the Church
Interment: Monday, April 14, 2014 at 10:00 A.M. at Highland Park Cemetery, Kansas City, Kansas.
Alversa B. Milan passed away the morning of April 5, 2014 at age 80 after a three-year valiant battle with ovarian cancer. She was surrounded at her passing by her immediate family singing one of the family’s favorite Episcopal hymns. Mrs. Milan was a civic and church leader, and married for 59 years to Rev. Dr. Jesse Milan, the first African American public school teacher in Lawrence, Kansas. A tireless volunteer leader, Mrs. Milan co-founded in 1988 the Kansas City chapter of Mother to Mother Ministry, a non-profit organization providing faith-based mentoring and services to disadvantaged mothers and their families. She served as chairman of its board of directors and on its board for over 20 years. A longtime Episcopalian, Mrs. Milan was involved for many years in Church Women United as Kansas City, KS serving as chapter president, vice president and treasurer; and served a term as the state president. She was also state chair of the Kansas chapter of the United Thank Offering for the Episcopal Church. To share with the world her success nurturing her own four children, she wrote and published in 2013 her book titled “Raising Children is Easy as 1, 2, 3.” It presents her gentle timeless philosophy and guidance for raising children to become productive thoughtful adult citizens. With her personal passion for the development and well-being of children and youth of all backgrounds, Mrs. Milan; co-founded The Children’s Hour, a trailblazing integrated preschool for underprivileged children in Lawrence; and co-founded also the Lawrence Branch of Concerned Black Parents (LBCBP) in the early 1960s. She served also on the Lawrence Public Library Board. She and her family resided in Lawrence during Dr. Milan’s historic public school teaching career from 1954 to 1971. For their civic and social justice work in Lawrence, Dr. and Mrs. Milan received together the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the LBCBP in 1973. She moved with her family to Kansas City, KS in 1971. She was on the altar guild at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence and at Church of the Ascension Episcopal Church in Kansas City, KS, and a layreader at St. Martin in the Field Episcopal Church in Edwardsville, KS where she was a member for the last 20 years. She served also as vice president of the Northeast Kansas City chapter of Optimist International from 1999-2002. Alversa Brewster Milan was born January, 25, 1934, in St. Louis, MO, and attended Vashon High School graduating in 1950. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1955 with a degree in Occupational Therapy, and was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority serving for 16 years as the undergraduate advisor for the chapter at KU. She worked professionally as an occupational therapist at the Veterans Administration during the 1950s and 1960s in Topeka, KS, and at the Bess Stone Activity Center in Lawrence. She rose to the executive position of Assistant Chief of Domiciliary Operations at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, KS serving for seven years until retiring in 1976.
Mrs. Milan is survived by her husband, Rev. Dr. Jesse Milan, of 59 years whom she supported in all his civic and social justice work; their son Jesse Milan, Jr. and his spouse Bill Roberts of Ellicott City MD, son John Edward Milan and his partner Aleya Collidge of Los Angeles, CA; daughter Julie Ann Milan of Kansas City, KS, and daughter Joy Lynne Milan and her husband Jon Walls of Torrance, CA; and by two beautiful granddaughters Milana Walls and Courtney Walls. She was predeceased by her mother Alverta McField, father Raymond Brewster, stepfather Silas McField and three brothers Earl Brewster, Harold Brewster and Oliver Brewster. She is survived also by her sister Marilyn McField Brashears and a brother Quinton McField; sisters-in law and brothers-in-law; and a host of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Her survivors also include colleagues from numerous faith and civic organizations that adored her humility, grace and lifelong belief stated in her book that “No matter how little you have, there is still enough to share.” In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be sent in her honor to Mother to Mother Ministry, Inc. P.O. Box 12845, Kansas City, KS 66112.
Home
© Malcolm D Warren
When God reached down
And collected her soul
She reached up knowing
She had to go
Slipping away peacefully
Her body remained
One final look back
She smiled
Reaching home again
A place she’d forgot
Past memories came flooding
With splendor and awe
God gave back sights
We can not imagine
She finally found
Her home Heaven
We remember her daily
She does the same
We Love her always
It will never change
When it’s my time to go
There is one thing I know
That she will be smiling
All the way home
