CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE

OF

Mrs. Queen Esther Rembert

Canty Family Matriarch

Mrs. Queen Esther Rembert, daughter of the late William McKinley Canty and Carrie Lucinda Willis Canty, was born on September 30, 1930, in Sumter County, SC.  She departed this life at her residence in the early morning of September 30, 2025.

She attended public school in Sumter and Night School in New York City.  For more than 30 years, she was employed by the Public School System in New York City as a matron in P.S. 72 where her dedicated service helped to enhance the lives of children and provided support to teachers and administrators.

Queen Esther was united in marriage to Hilliard Rembert, Sr.; they were blessed with three children.  She was strongly encouraged by her parents to attend church at an early age. In New York, she was a faithful member of Fellowship Covenant Church in the Bronx New York for more than 45 years and later joined the "Ship" (formerly Fellowship Covenant).  She eagerly put her unshakable faith to work as she served on multiple church committees in both leadership and membership roles.  Some of those committees included the following:  Covenant Women, Sunday School, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Church Board, Financial Secretary and Treasurer, Building Fund Committee member and served as one of 15 members to assist with incorporating the church under her Pastor, Rev. Dr. Jerry Mosby.  Her steadfast faith, her enormous trust in God and her willingness to be involved in the growth of the church earned her the church's highest honor, The Eagle Award, at her retirement celebration.

After her retirement from work in New York, she returned to her hometown of Sumter, SC.  She joined Canty Memorial Church of God in Christ (currently Canty Memorial Ministries, Inc.) where she was a dedicated steward of the church.  She regularly participated in church activities and continued to serve the church as Chair of the Usher Board for as long as her good health would allow.

She loved to prepare meals for her family and to cook for others; for cooking was one of her gifts--a gift she embraced dearly and one she gladly shared with others.  She loved God, her church family and her biological family. Her demonstrated love of God, family and children endeared her to those around her.  She also loved fishing, traveling and gardening.

In addition to her husband Hilliard Rembert, Sr., she was preceded in death by one son Hilliard Rembert, Jr., four brothers:  James (the late Janie Lee) Canty;  Legrand (the late Bertha) Canty; Supt. Eugene (the late Ann) Canty, Sr. and William Canty (the late Barbara) Canty; one sister, Mary D. Canty Johnson; three sisters-in-law: Alice (the late Samuel) Nathaniel, Edith (the late Wallace) McCleary, and Gladys Rembert.

She leaves to cherish the memories of her well-lived life two children:  Dr. Gloria Rembert of Huntersville, NC; Leroy "Jimmy" (Dr. Wilhelmenia I.) Rembert of Charlotte, NC; two brothers, Jake (Carrie) Canty of Sumter, SC and Joseph (Rev. Shirley) Canty of Charlotte, NC; two sisters, Linwood (the late Samuel) White of Sumter, SC and Carrie Johnson of Florence, NJ; Four grandchildren, Alexis (Rev. Lorenzo Sr.) Small of Battle Creek, MI; Meredith Rembert of Charlotte, NC; Carlos Sanchez Rembert and Shaul Lee Rembert of Charlotte, NC;  three great grandsons: Antre Small of Greensboro, NC; Lorenzo R. Small and Alexander Jacob Small of Battle Creek, MI; two great granddaughters:  Kamelia C'Nyia Diann Rembert and Shylah Ava Lee of Charlotte, NC., and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives and friends.