THE FRALEY FAMILY CHRONICLE
A LIFE ROOTED IN FAITH, FAMILY & SERVICE Gladys “Lillum” Fraley remembered for 96 years of strength, love, work, worship and community
Gladys “Lillum” Fraley was born May 29, 1930, in Hancock County, Georgia, to the late Tom Fraley and Ellen Simmons Fraley. She spent most of her life in Baldwin County, Georgia, where she attended public school, worked, raised her family, and became a familiar and respected presence in her community. She accepted Christ and became a member of Vaughn Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, faithfully serving on the usher board under the Reverend Nehemiah Collins and later under her nephew and pastor, the Reverend Tony E. Fraley.
Gladys “Lillum” Fraley May 29, 1930 - September 12, 2026
Gladys worked for approximately 30 years as a cook in the school system before retiring and also performed domestic work and served through the Grandparent Program. Her life reflected the spirit of the virtuous woman.
“Her roots were deep. The storms came, the winds blew, and still she stood.” HER STORY • PART I
Roots, Work and Resourcefulness A woman shaped by faith, family, hard work and a generation that knew how to make a way.
If the life of Gladys “Lillum” Fraley could be pictured as a tree, she would be a strong oak. Her roots reached deep into faith, family, hard work, and community. The winds of life moved her, but they did not uproot her. She lived through lean years, segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, changing neighborhoods, and a changing world. Through it all, she remained standing strong enough to endure, wise enough to adjust, and rooted enough to remember where she came from. Affectionately called “Lillum” by her family, she grew up in a generation that learned early how to work, how to stretch what it had, and how to make a way when money was small. She later made Baldwin County her home and became known throughout the community as a hardworking woman, a gifted cook,
“She used what was in her hands and made it work.” She later served through the Grandparent Program, continuing the pattern that marked her life: caring for children, helping families, and giving something of herself wherever she was needed. Long before people used words such as entrepreneur, the women of her generation knew how to create honest work close to home. They washed and boiled clothes in backyard tubs, placed finished bundles on the porch, raised chickens, helped during hog-killing time, and made certain that every family had something to eat. Lillum belonged to that resourceful tradition. She did not wait for life to become easy. She used what was in
a caring neighbor, and a woman who could handle her hands and made it work. business. Even after the world had entered the twenty-first Her hands knew how to work. She performed century, Lillum continued practicing the old ways domestic service in the homes of others and spent she had learned. She made soap in her backyard and approximately 30 years working in the school system kept chickens in her yard. What some might have as a cafeteria cook, back when meals were prepared considered old- fashioned, she understood as useful in the kitchen and children could smell real food knowledge - how to produce something with her own cooking before lunchtime. hands, care for what had been entrusted to her, and remain connected to the way her people had survived and provided for their families.
HER STORY • PART II
Food, a Distinctive Walk and a Remarkable Return Her family remembers the care in her kitchen, the confidence in her stride and the determination that brought her back to church.
Her family remembers her standing over a woodburning stove, tending the fire and preparing food with patience and skill. Her candied yams, collard greens, blackberry pie, cookies, and Seven-Up pound cake became part of the family’s memory. A nephew remembered waiting for her to come home because he knew she might have cookies in a brown paper bag. She had a way of putting things aside so she would have something to give when somebody needed it. Food from her kitchen was never merely food; it was care made visible. And then there was her walk. Everybody who knew Lillum knew that distinctive strut. Her family would laugh and say that with every step, the tail of her skirt seemed to pop. It was her walk- alone confident, recognizable, and unforgettable. Even in later years, when she felt well enough to attend worship, she did not want to be rolled into the sanctuary. She wanted to walk into the church, take her seat among the people, look around, and quietly observe. Her presence itself made a difference.
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“Food from her kitchen was never merely food; it was care made visible.” That walk carried an even deeper meaning because there was a season when the family did not know whether she would ever walk again. Lillum entered the hospital for what was expected to be a relatively simple surgery, but afterward she was paralyzed from the neck down and could move only her head. It was one of the hardest trials she and her family faced. Yet the strong oak within her would not surrender. She was determined to rise from that bed, stand on her feet, and walk again. With courage, endurance, prayer, and hard work, that is exactly what she did. She returned not only to her feet, but also to the church she loved. Lillum came back to Vaughn Chapel, resumed her place among the ushers, and continued serving on the usher board. In time, she was honored as one of Vaughn Chapel Missionary Baptist Church’s honorary ushers. Every step she took into that sanctuary testified that hardship had bent her but had not broken her. Her return was a living sermon about determination, faith, and the strength God had placed within her.
GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • CELEBRATION OF LIFE
HER STORY • PART III
Faith, Family and Living History She welcomed worshipers, supported ministry and carried family history across generations.
Lillum was skillful with her hands, but she also possessed the people skills needed to survive and lead. She could be warm, protective, and generous. She could also speak plainly. When someone needed correction, she knew how to choose language they would understand. Her strength did not make her less loving; it was one of the ways she protected her family and handled the responsibilities life placed before her.
“She became a bridge between generations.” She became a bridge between generations, carrying stories from a world her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews could know only through her voice. Her daughter Patricia “Pat” Fraley helped keep those memories alive by taking her riding at least two days each week. Lillum enjoyed visiting her nieces and nephews - sometimes reaching out to them more often than they came to see her - and traveling to the places that held the story of her life. As Pat drove, Lillum would point out where the family had lived in Hancock County, speak of the Fraley plantation her grandmother had told her about, and recount how the family moved into Baldwin County.
She was a woman of faith and a servant of the church. At Vaughn Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, she served as an usher under the Reverend Nehemiah Collins and later under her nephew and pastor, the Reverend Tony E. Fraley. As a senior usher, she helped welcome worshipers into the house of God. She also loved “The Lily of the Valley,” one of the hymns that spoke to her heart. When her nephew began preaching, he regularly came by to She remembered when Fraley families and strong pick her up, and she faithfully followed and patriarchs of the church lived on land that later supported his ministry. became the Milledgeville Country Club. She could Lillum was also one of the family’s living historians. describe family and community life in areas now She remembered people, places, and stories with recognized by such landmarks as Walmart and remarkable clarity. Much of the family history- and Captain D’s. To other people, those places were even memories about the earlier location of Vaughn simply parts of modern Milledgeville; to Lillum, they Chapel - was preserved because she shared what she held homes, footsteps, struggles, worship, and family knew. stories. Riding with her was like traveling through a living history book, with Lillum herself serving as the guide. HER STORY • PART IV
Matriarch, Memory and a Peaceful Readiness The strong oak has fallen, but the roots remain.
As the oldest surviving member of the Fraley family, she stood as its matriarch. It was difficult to say who was her favorite child, grandchild, niece, or nephew because she found ways to love and remember them all. She asked about the children even after they had become grown men and women. She could refer to someone as “my little girl” or ask about “that boy,” not because she had forgotten that they had grown, but because love keeps a memory of the child inside the adult.
“Her voice may be quiet, but her story will continue to speak.” On Saturday evening, September 12, 2026, at the age of 96, Gladys “Lillum” Fraley completed her earthly assignment. The strong oak has fallen, but the roots remain. They remain in the meals she taught others to prepare, the family history she preserved, the children she fed, the church she served, the neighbors she helped, and the family she
GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • CELEBRATION OF LIFE
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During the final weeks of her life, Lillum began speaking more often about her mother, her father, and the sisters and brothers who had gone before her. Her family heard in her words a growing sense of peace and readiness. “I’m ready now,” she said. “I’m tired.” Pat also remembered hearing her call to her sister: “When you get over, Katie Mae, I’m on my way. Make room for me.” They were the words of a woman who understood that her long journey was nearing its end and who was preparing, in her own way, to go home.
loved. Her voice may be quiet, but her story will continue to speak. Gladys “Lillum” Fraley lived long, worked hard, loved deeply, and served faithfully. Her family will miss her walk, her cooking, her plain speech, and her watchful presence.
“The strong oak has fallen, but the roots remain.”
THE FRALEY FAMILY CHRONICLE SPECIAL MEMORIAL EDITION • GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • 1930–2026
PHOTO FEATURE
Moments of a Life Well Lived Faith. Family. Community. Home.
Surrounded by generations of family
A faithful usher of Vaughn Chapel
An evening in the community she loved
A tender moment at home
“With heartfelt gratitude for every memory, every lesson and every act of love.” 4
GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • CELEBRATION OF LIFE
THE FRALEY FAMILY CHRONICLE SPECIAL MEMORIAL EDITION • GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • 1930–2026
FAMILY ARCHIVE
A Family Remembered Cherished photographs passed down through generations.
“Her roots reached back generations, and every face here is part of that root system.”
GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • CELEBRATION OF LIFE
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THE FRALEY FAMILY CHRONICLE SPECIAL MEMORIAL EDITION • GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • 1930–2026
FAMILY PHOTO DESK
Generations of Love Wherever family gathered, Gladys was the heart of the room.
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GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • CELEBRATION OF LIFE
THE FRALEY FAMILY CHRONICLE SPECIAL MEMORIAL EDITION • GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • 1930–2026
SERVICE EDITION
Order of Celebration A service of remembrance, worship and thanksgiving.
Musical Prelude Processional
Clergy and Family
Opening Selection
Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross
Prayer of Comfort
Selected Minister
Old Testament Scripture
Missionary Lisa T. Shinholster
New Testament Scripture
Missionary Lisa T. Shinholster
Musical Selection
Lily in the Valley
Reflections on Her Life Remarks
Sis. Linda Ford & Evangelist Estella Ellison Church and Usher Ministry • Family • Community - limited to two minutes
Poem or Special Tribute
Selected Participant
Acknowledgments and Resolutions
Selected Reader
Musical Selection
Come A Long Way
Eulogy
Pastor Tony E. Fraley
Parting View
Funeral Director in Charge
Recessional
Clergy and Family
Interment
Bone Cemetery
Repast
Vaughn Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • CELEBRATION OF LIFE
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FINAL NOTICES
Faithful to the End Those who served beside her now help carry her memory forward.
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord... that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” REVELATION 14:13, KJV
PALLBEARERS
FLOWER GIRLS
Nephews and Grandsons, other Family and Friends
Nieces, Granddaughters, other Family, and Friends
“Every step she took into that sanctuary testified that hardship had bent her but had not broken her.”
FAMILY STATEMENT
With Heartfelt Gratitude Thank you for standing with the family of Gladys “Lillum” Fraley.
The family of Gladys “Lillum” Fraley gratefully acknowledges every prayer, visit, call, message, meal, floral expression, and act of kindness shown during this time. Your love and support have strengthened us, and we ask God to bless each of you.
“Her roots were deep. Her legacy remains.”
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GLADYS “LILLUM” FRALEY • CELEBRATION OF LIFE