Melvin Gadson, son of the late William and Rosa Deas Gadson, was born on March 31, 1919 in Sumter County, SC and entered eternal rest on October 30, 2017.
After graduating from High School, Melvin attended Morris College and as a very young man, migrated to New York where he met his wife Cicely and together they raised a family. He fulfilled one of his dreams of owning his own business by purchasing a New York City Taxi Medallion and had a long and exciting career as a Taxi Cab Driver.
Melvin was an ambitious, hardworking man who cherished his family and shared his warmth and love with family and friends. In Queens, New York, Melvin was an active member of the First Baptist Church of East Elmhurst, where he served as an usher, Sunday school teacher and served as a Deacon.
Melvin always dreamed of returning to Sumter to spend his retirement close to his brother and sisters and extended southern family. This became a reality in 1986. Upon returning to Sumter he rejoined the Wayman Chapel AME Church in which he was raised. Later, he united with First Southern Methodist Church. He had a strong faith in God and in the power of prayer, which he practiced unceasingly.
Left to cherish his memory are his beloved wife of 63 years, Cicely, daughter, Jean; son, Melvin Elliot (Tonya); granddaughters, Dana (Steven), Shana (Jamaal), Cicely Ann, Aliyah, Meliyah, and Tamiyah; great grandsons, Gavin and Dante; great granddaughter, Jasmine; sisters, Rosa Jackson and Millie Canty; a host of niece's nephews, brothers and sisters-in-law and many treasured friends.
NO Public Viewing
Family will be receiving friends at the church on Sunday Nov. 5 at 1:30pm until the hour of service.
Funeral Services will be held on Sunday November 5, 2017 at 2:30pm at Frist Southern Methodist Church 312 Miller Road, Sumter with Pastor Ellison Evans, Officiating
Interment will follow in Evergreen Memorial Park.