Mrs. Marcia Yvonne Lewis

Mrs. Marcia Yvonne Lewis, 77, died at 6:8 am on Wednesday, January, 3, 2024 at Carle Health Methodist Hospital. Marcia was born Leona Oliver on August 16, 1946. She didn’t know her parents or the place she was born. Her first foster parents changed her name soon after her birth. As a small girl, she was adopted by an Army couple, Elmore and Otha Miles, and they blessed her with a loving family and four siblings: Anthony, Denise, Timothy (deceased), and Regina. Marcia traveled the world with the Miles family. While they were stationed in Germany, Otha died and the family returned to the United States for the burial. Marcia was 15 years old. Although Marcia’s father decided to return to Germany, Marcia stayed behind in Chicago with her father’s sister, Princetta. In Chicago, Marcia developed a deep bond with a civil servant named Minnie Wee Williams, who would bless Marcia with another loving family and eight siblings: Clemmon (deceased), Rosemary, Linda, Allen (deceased), Robert (deceased), Gaynell, David, Odell and Anita. Marcia moved to California and in 1964, at 18 years old, had her first child, Rosslyn. Marcia returned to Chicago, where she would eventually live with her Sumrell family. In 1966, Marcia birthed her second child, Jonathon Sr. Marcia’s two children had some of their most formative experiences in Grandma Minnie’s loving home at 2726 W. Lexington Ave., which was a constant and enduring presence. Decades after the house burned down, the anticipation of those summer block parties, Uncle Bobby singing on that makeshift stage, the smell of barbecue coating the air, and dozens of neighborhood children asking Grandma Minnie for a job would linger with Marcia and her two children. In the 1970s, Marcia met and married Phil Lewis, a World War II veteran and jitney driver who moved to Chicago from Muskogee, Oklahoma. Phil was also a beacon of stability for Marcia and her kids until his death in 1982. Marcia eventually moved to Peoria and in the early 1990s began taking in foster children, four of whom she would adopt: Cretia, Curtis, Chauncie (deceased) and Darius. In Peoria, she cultivated loving spaces for her adopted children, her biological children and her many grandchildren. The rooms were full of Marcia’s beautiful crafts and, at Christmas time, her festive holiday decorations; the walls were covered with her son Jonathon’s art; and the beating heart of her homes were often the vital sights and sounds of cousins making lasting memories. In her later years, Marcia developed a loving community of close friends and neighbors at the Grand Regency of Peoria, an assisted living facility. She enjoyed good food, Grand Regency gossip and people-watching at the facility’s long, winding entrance. She was also an abiding, listening ear during chats with her sister, Denise, who called her daily. Marcia died on January, 3, 2024. She was 77. She is survived by her children, Jonathon Romain Sr. (Nikki), Rosslyn, Curtis, Lacretia, and Ladarius; special children Teonna Ware and Eric Edwards; 14 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; seven great-great-grandchildren; and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 pm on Saturday, January 20, 2024 at the Romaine Arts and Cultural Center, 919 SE Jefferson St., Peoria, IL 61603. Simons Mortuary has been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences may be made at SimonsMortuary.com.

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Mrs. Marcia Yvonne Lewis

August 16, 1946 - January 3, 2024