May Violet McDermott Fayetteville, Georgia Obituary

May Violet McDermott

May Violet (Gordon) McDermott passed away on April 22, 2018. She was born on July 3, 1924 in New York City, New York, the fifth of seven children of the late Grover and Edith Gordon. These Jamaicans migrated to the United States of America in the early 1900s. May was born in Harlem, NYC, and grew up in Jamaica, Long Island, where she attended PS 40 Elementary, Shimer Junior High and Jamaica High School. During her school years, she was very active in sports, particularly in track, swimming and badminton. After graduating, May enrolled in Brooklyn College to study accounting and worked at the Office of Veteran Affairs in New Jersey. During World War II, she answered the Army’s call for nurses and trained at Bellevue School of Nursing in New York City. She met Allan at one of her mother’s Sunday dinners. They dated for two years before marrying on October 16, 1946. After marriage and upon completing nursing school “May-May” moved with her husband to Jamaica W.I. There, she wore many hats: the school nurse, doctor’s assistant, Sunday school teacher, assistant church secretary, office manager for her husband’s business, summer home school teacher, family nurse and foster mother. In 1979 when Allan and May relocated to Atlanta, she continued her life of service and caring for others. Her new hats included helping with Meals on Wheels, being involved with the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, helping to raise her grandchildren and babysitting for children of her nieces in Atlanta. She leaves behind Allan McDermott, her husband of 71 years; five children, Kathleen (William), Janet (Maxwell), David (Akemi), Judith and Bryan. She also leaves eight grandchildren, Melanie, William (Ebony), Stephanie, Gordon, Michael (Mackie), Sierra, Kirk and Kyle; and one great grandson, Andrew. May was greatly loved and will be missed by her family, friends, nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews and great-grand niece. The family will receive friends at the Silvera residence in Sandy Springs on Sunday, April 29 from 2:00 to 6:00 PM. Burial of her ashes will take place on May 29, 2018 in her family’s plot at Mount Hope Cemetery, Hastings-On-Hudson, NY. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on June 1, 2018 at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity, 130 Antioch Rd., Fayetteville, GA 30215. NO FLOWERS PLEASE!
July 3, 1924 - April 22, 201807/03/192404/22/2018
Share Obituary:

Share a memory

Add to your memory
Photos/Video
Candle
Mementos

Obituary

May Violet (Gordon) McDermott passed away on April 22, 2018. She was born on July 3, 1924 in New York City, New York, the fifth of seven children of the late Grover and Edith Gordon. These Jamaicans migrated to the United States of America in the early 1900s. May was born in Harlem, NYC, and grew up in Jamaica, Long Island, where she attended PS 40 Elementary, Shimer Junior High and Jamaica High School. During her school years, she was very active in sports, particularly in track, swimming and badminton. After graduating, May enrolled in Brooklyn College to study accounting and worked at the Office of Veteran Affairs in New Jersey. During World War II, she answered the Army’s call for nurses and trained at Bellevue School of Nursing in New York City. She met Allan at one of her mother’s Sunday dinners. They dated for two years before marrying on October 16, 1946. After marriage and upon completing nursing school “May-May” moved with her husband to Jamaica W.I. There, she wore many hats: the school nurse, doctor’s assistant, Sunday school teacher, assistant church secretary, office manager for her husband’s business, summer home school teacher, family nurse and foster mother. In 1979 when Allan and May relocated to Atlanta, she continued her life of service and caring for others. Her new hats included helping with Meals on Wheels, being involved with the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, helping to raise her grandchildren and babysitting for children of her nieces in Atlanta. She leaves behind Allan McDermott, her husband of 71 years; five children, Kathleen (William), Janet (Maxwell), David (Akemi), Judith and Bryan. She also leaves eight grandchildren, Melanie, William (Ebony), Stephanie, Gordon, Michael (Mackie), Sierra, Kirk and Kyle; and one great grandson, Andrew. May was greatly loved and will be missed by her family, friends, nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews and great-grand niece. The family will receive friends at the Silvera residence in Sandy Springs on Sunday, April 29 from 2:00 to 6:00 PM. Burial of her ashes will take place on May 29, 2018 in her family’s plot at Mount Hope Cemetery, Hastings-On-Hudson, NY. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on June 1, 2018 at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity, 130 Antioch Rd., Fayetteville, GA 30215. NO FLOWERS PLEASE!

To plant a tree in memory of May Violet McDermott, please visit our Tribute Store.

Events

Jun
01
Memorial Service
Friday, June 01 2018
11:00 AM
Episcopal Church of the Nativity
130 Antioch Road
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Get Directions
View MapTextEmail
Final Resting Place
Mount Hope Cemetery
P.O. Box 248 50 Jackson Avenue ​(Jackson Avenue at Saw Mill River Road)
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706
Get Directions
View MapTextEmail