Hattie Lee (Boddie) Gentry

In holy matrimony, Bennet Boddie (farmer) and Emma Evans Boddie (homemaker) welcomed their daughter, Hattie Lee Boddie, into this world on April 1, 1945, in rural Rocky Mount, NC. Bennet and Emma were blessed with nine beautiful children during their union, Ruth, Pearl, Gennie, Hattie, Helen, James, Thomas, Louis, and Hardine. Hattie was a kind and creative child who enjoyed the protection and teachings of all her siblings and was particularly nurturing toward her baby sister, Helen. She was always tall for her age and could run fast and cook well. The Boddie home in Nash County was one of many homes of large broods of cousins and close friends, and they all prayed and played together and leaned heavily on one another during hardships.

Hattie accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at the Swift Creek Baptist Church at a young age. Hattie’s dear mother, Emma, passed away while Hattie was in elementary school. It was an enormous loss. Hattie’s siblings and community of relatives taught her the lessons needed to become a resourceful young lady. Hattie and her cousins cherished memories of walking the long, dirt roads between homes of loved ones to visit and eat good meals together laughing and playing along the way.

By the early 1960s, several of Hattie’s brothers and sisters had moved from Rocky Mount and settled in New York City. At about 18 years of age, Hattie joined her siblings up North. Hattie worked hourly jobs and made a commitment to further her education and experience the world. Strengthened by her upbringing in Rocky Mount, Hattie was a courageous and curious country girl who loved to read and explore the big city, sometimes by herself.

One day Hattie ventured into “Esther’s Luncheonette” to grab a bite to eat, and this marked the beginning of a pivotal point in her life. The owner was Esther Gentry-Miller, another courageous yet sensitive woman of Hattie’s parents’ generation who was originally from Jemison, AL. Esther and Hattie developed a special mother-daughter type bond, and Hattie frequented the restaurant often for a good meal and fun conversations. One day, Esther announced to Hattie, “You need to meet my nephew, Theartice.” Hattie proudly responded with a smile, “You meant to say he needs to meet me,” indicating her high regard for her Rocky Mount roots.

Hattie Lee Boddie married Theartice Gentry on October 24, 1964, at the Queens County courthouse. As a young married couple, they moved from New York City to Long Island to raise their only two children at the time, Tommie Pamela (Pam) and Cassandra Ann (Sandy). Theartice commuted daily for work into NYC as an employee of Children & Family Services. As a young mother, Hattie initiated her journey toward earning her college education for an eventual career as a Registered Nurse working in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility from Staff Nurse to Administrator at Long Island hospitals. Hattie brought her children with her on her educational journey visiting university libraries and bookstores weekly, imparting her passion for books and learning. The family traveled to East and West Africa, and Hattie cherished the opportunity to fellowship while learning about the diversity of the African culture and came home with as much artwork and woven baskets as she could get! In 1976, the Boddie siblings beloved youngest sister, Helen, passed away suddenly at 27 years old. Helen was vivacious and fun and a talented seamstress who made fabulous outfits! More importantly, she dearly loved her nine year old son, Anthony (Tony). Upon Helen’s passing, Hattie and Theartice embraced and raised Tony as their own, the final symbol of the tight bond between the two sisters. Around this same time, Doris White, the sister of Theatine’s late mother, Tommie Gentry, was recovering from illness in Atlanta and needed more support. Theartice and Hattie relocated Aunt Doris from Atlanta to their home in New York; now the family of six was complete!

The lessons taught in the household were centered on prayer, planning, and perseverance, the tenants that kept Hattie on a steady path of growth and achievement throughout her lifetime.

The family has many fond memories of driving across Long Island to Montauk Point, stopping along the way to purchase fresh vegetables from the local farmers and going deep-sea fishing in the Long Island Sound. Hattie truly enjoyed being out in nature and traveling. Theartice taught her how to steer a boat, and she enjoyed driving the family’s 1968 Catalina convertible on road trips. She loved to swim and learned how to play tennis. Hattie was very knowledgeable about plants and flowers and would get quite irritated to see someone give up on a plant near death; she always felt there was hope. Hattie felt the same way about people. The family was very active in their local civic association and various community programs centered around family and education. They enjoyed trips down south to visit relatives, events in NYC, and hosting family gatherings and parties at the house. One family reunion was particularly memorable where the male relatives and neighbors dug a hole in the backyard and slow-roasted a pig in the ground all night long as it would be done in Rocky Mount or Jemison. Hattie and Aunt Doris were at the helm of the kitchen operations, and everyone pitched in for an epic feast and party that lasted a couple days!

A Blessed Life Of all the positions Hattie held in nursing during her career, Geriatric Care was her favorite. She loved caring for the elderly and made sure her nursing library stayed in tune with the times and her tools to tend to the sick at the ready throughout her lifetime. In the mid-1980s, Hattie was in a severe car accident and eventually had to apply for and receive disability retirement. This ushered in a very tough transition in her life, learning to live and thrive with chronic back and neck pain. Theartice and Hattie worked together to get her the best care and treatments they could afford. Aunt Doris was the prayer warrior of the family, and the children stepped up their responsibilities to help their mother. Theartice held several jobs as a therapist working around the clock to support his family. This was probably one of the toughest times for the family from a physical and emotional standpoint. Eventually Hattie transitioned from being absolutely petrified to get behind the wheel of a car to occasionally driving to NYC for appointments by herself. She maintained a rigorous schedule of physical therapy and began to accept her new reality of striving to master her pain management.

Aunt Doris was called home in 1999 for her well-deserved rest in peace. In 2000, Theartice and Hattie moved from New York to Jemison, AL, as a retired couple. They built a house on the same land where Theartice was raised within a large extended family of relatives. They became active members of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, an invaluable bedrock of the community. Hattie was a kind elder mother of the church giving selflessly across several ministries. Additionally, Hattie participated in the Shiloh Missionary Christian Leadership Parenting Program where Theartice taught parents across Chilton County how to be better caregivers to their children. The attendees were referred to the Saturday classes by the Chilton County court system.

Hattie participated in class discussions, collaborated on assignments, and stood at the end of the line on graduation day to accept her Certificate of Completion from her dear husband. Hattie loved being “on-call” in the community to respond to ill family members who needed help. At a moment’s notice, she’d grab her medical bag and do home visits. Sometimes Hattie would need to be on a cane and in a neck brace and a back brace to control pain, but she meant she was going when the calls came in!

Hattie’s beloved soulmate of nearly 40 years, Dr. Theartice Gentry, went home to be with the Lord on July 1, 2004. In the eighteen years since his death, Hattie chaired the Dr. Theartice Gentry Memorial Scholarship Fund and each year her body would allow, she’d make the trip to Tuskegee University to attend the Awards Programs and meet the scholarship recipients. Hattie maintained diverse interests in her sunset years that included talking to family and friends by speaker phone for hours, reading, tending to her roses, following politics, and listening to all kinds of music from the Mississippi Mass Choir to her favorite rapper! Hattie regularly drove by herself into her late 60s across states in her Ford pickup truck with her pistol under her seat and her German Shepherd to visit her children. She always said, “Bennet Boddie taught me exactly what to do with a pistol if the need arises.” Hattie was God’s faithful servant who let her light shine for others as a rare and beautiful Gem!

Two days before the Lord called Hattie home, she affirmed in an online post “I am a disabled, retired Registered Nurse. I try to live a clean lifestyle and trust in the Lord.”

Hattie is survived by three children, Sandy (Chris), Tony (Sharon), and Tommie; two brothers, Louis (Alberta) and Thomas; and three grandchildren, Moses, Jarrett, and Kahari. Hattie had four “adopted” children who lived just down the road. They watched over her, laughed with her and rescued her from several predicaments, Curtis and Angeria McCray and Elbert and Diane Simon. Hattie is also survived by a host of devoted nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who provided her much appreciated visits, phone calls, or surprise packages in the mail. A grateful recognition is owed to Mrs. Hannah Grace, Sandy’s mother-in-law. Mrs. Grace is one of the most peaceful and generous women one could meet. Hannah and Hattie shared many special moments through the years, and Hannah selflessly understood how much Hattie leaned on Chris in recent years. It will never be forgotten

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Hattie Lee (Boddie) Gentry, please visit our floral store.