Gladys Graves Blackman

YANCEYVILLE, NC - Mrs. Gladys Graves Blackman, age 84, passed away Friday, September 11, 2026 at Moses Cone Hospital.

A viewing will begin on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 from 12 until 6 p.m. at McLaurin-Harris Funeral Home, 721 East Morehead Street, Reidsville, NC.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, September 16, 2026 from the Graves Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, 5373 Badgett Sisters Parkway, Yanceyville, NC. The viewing will begin at 1 p.m. Visitation with the family will take place at 1:30 p.m., followed by the service at 2 p.m. Pastor Alexander Graves will officiate and Pastor Kenneth E. Walker will serve as eulogist.

The committal and interment will follow in the Graves Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery, Yanceyville, NC.

All other times, the family will receive friends at the residence - 469 Marshall Graves Road, Yanceyville, NC.

Gladys "Wythene" Graves Blackman was born on September 27, 1941, in Yanceyville, North Carolina, to Reverend Henry T. and Annie Watlington Graves. She passed away on September11, 2026, in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

She spent most of her life in Yanceyville, where faith, family, and education shaped her from an early age. Gladys was baptized and remained a devoted member of Graves Chapel Missionary Baptist Church for over 75 years, serving faithfully in the Gospel Choir. The church was central to her life and community.

She graduated from Caswell County Training School in 1959 and valued education throughout her life. After high school, Gladys moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the U.S.Postal Service and met her future husband, James Blackman, marrying him in 1966.

Gladys returned to North Carolina and devoted her career to service. She was a Nutrition Educator with Caswell County Cooperative Extension, later helped found Graves Chapel Daycare, the county’s first certified daycare in 1979, and worked as an administrator at Head Start. She also managed the Caswell County Credit Union, supporting local families’ financial well-being.

She was a life member of the Caswell County NAACP, recognized for her leadership in voter registration in 1982 and honored with the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Trailblazer Award in1985. Her civic engagement showed her lasting commitment to service, advocacy, and equality.

For over 20 years, Gladys opened her home to children as a foster parent through Lutheran Family Services, sharing her compassion and providing a loving, stable environment. Nearly 40 years after High school, Gladys proudly graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 1997, demonstrating her perseverance and belief in lifelong learning. Family was always at Gladys’s center. She brought loved ones together, cherished traditions, and preserved the family's history for future generations.

Gladys was preceded in death by her husband, James Blackman. She is Survived by her children Stacy Blackman (Teanie), Tracy Blackman, and Ross Mickens (Jillian); sisters Ocie Bigelow and Ethel Fuller; brother Kenneth Graves (Virginia); grandchildren Latoya Johnson (Jamaal); Alycia Johnson (Cory), Jay Graves II; Auriel Cowan, Janet Blackman, Stacy Blackman, Casey Blackman; great-grandchildren, extended family, church family, foster children, and many friends. She was also preceded in death by her son Janavira Graves (Julia), her parents, and siblings: Viola, Thomas, Onzer, Dolphus, Roy and Lusterine.

Faith, family, service, and advocacy defined Gladys Blackman’s life. Through her actions, she touched countless lives and left a legacy that will inspire generations to come.

Service by McLaurin-Harris