Ms. Wilhelmenia T. “Shuge” Poole

It is with heartfelt sorrow that the management and staff of Mitchell-Josey Funeral Home, Inc. announces the passing of Ms. Wilhelmenia T. “Shuge” Poole of Society Hill, SC. 

Funeral service is 10:00 AM on Saturday, July 17, 2021 in the Bethesda Baptist Church Cemetery, 208 Church Street, Society Hill, SC. Interment will follow. Please adhere to social distancing and mask wearing for the service. 

Public viewing is on Friday, July 16, 2021 from 12 Noon to 5:00 PM in the Chapel of Mitchell-Josey Funeral Home, Inc. 

Life’s Reflection

Wilhelmenia Tawanda Poole was born on June 1, 1952 in Society Hill, South Carolina.  It is with immeasurable grief that her family confirms she gained her wings peacefully at home on Sunday, July 11, 2021.  The daughter of the late Allen L. Joyner and Kathleen (Robinson) Joyner, Wilhelmenia was affectionately known as "Shuge" and, later in life, "Mamamenia."  Beautiful inside and out, she was cherished for her loving kindness, generosity, and fun-loving spirit.  After graduating from Rosenwald High School in Society Hill and relocating to Connecticut as a teenager, she attended Quinnipiac College for nursing school.  There she met and married the late Gerome Roberts and together they raised five children, who are left to survive her: Angela C. Serrano, Vanessa Roberts Avery (Sulaiman), Adam Roberts, Sr., Marleen Y. Roberts-Gibson (Wesley), and Paul Nixon; along with a niece who was raised as a daughter, Patricia A. Joyner. 

She was predeceased by siblings Anthony L. Joyner, Howard M. Joyner, Alean L. Joyner, Kathleen E. Joyner, and Arthur J. Joyner, and is survived by siblings Allen L. Joyner, Jr., Laten Joyner, Jack L. Joyner, Bessie M. Patterson, Moses S. Joyner, and Larry L. Joyner; a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, stepchildren from her second marriage to the late Augustus E. Poole, Jr., cousins, nieces, nephews, and other relatives, dear friends, including Leon Graham, and her beloved pets.

Far ahead of her time, Wilhelmenia was a champion for equal rights, and she treated everyone with equal dignity and affection everywhere she traveled.  She is a past Worthy Matron of Sheba Chapter #1, Ansonia, Connecticut, Prince Hall Chapter, OES State of Connecticut, Inc.  Wilhelmenia was a caregiver by nature and profession for many decades in Connecticut and South Carolina, opening her home and her heart to those in need, creating a safe haven for some and providing delicious meals for many more.  She is already dearly missed.

Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the residence, 194 Long Bluff Road, Society Hill, SC and 9 Windsor Road, Hamden, CT. 

Please keep the Joyner-Roberts-Poole family in your thoughts and prayers. In lieu of flowers, online donations in memory of Wilhelmenia T. Poole may be sent via Zelle (www.zellepay.com) to rememberingshugewtp@gmail.com. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ms. Wilhelmenia T. “Shuge” Poole, please visit our floral store.