In Loving Memory of Miriam Turner

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I was born September 6, 1932. My parents, Marion & Gladys Phillips, named me Miriam, like Moses & Aaron’s sister in the Old Testament. I was the first of six children, with siblings James, Edward, Theodore, Gloria, Walter to follow.

We grew up in the Booker T. Washington Projects, downtown Jersey City. Back then, living in the projects was a privilege because only Defense Workers, of which my father was one, were allowed to live there. I loved visiting my cousins David, Chris and Sammy, who lived nearby.  Later, we moved to a private home.

I graduated from P.S. #9 School, and in 1950 I graduated from Lincoln High School. Although my father’s sister, Aunt Honeybee, offered to pay for college, I was ready to earn my own money. I took a job at Emerson Radio & Television. Wanting to sharpen my secretarial skills, I attended Drake Secretarial College. I finished with a certificate in shorthand and typing. I was ready to take on the business world!

Many a weekend, my cousins and I traveled on the “Tubes” from Jersey City to Harlem USA to hang out at the famous Apollo Theatre! I enjoyed singers like The Miracles, The Platters and Ella Fitzgerald, just to name a few.

Our family attended Salem Baptist Church in Jersey City where I was an active member, singing on the youth choir. Being smart and career-minded with Christian values, at age 18 I was handpicked to teach eight-year olds in the Sunday School Primary Department. I loved every minute of it! It was during this time that my life would change. Another Sunday School teacher, Eunice Turner, asked me to write to her brother, Matthew, who was in the Service. Matthew and I exchanged many letters and even pictures of each other. I didn’t know it at that time but he would later become my loving husband of 46 years.

Back then June weddings were the rage and, on June 16, 1956, Matthew and I married. A year later, our first bundle of joy came along. We named her Valerie. Three years later, we had Teresa Angela. And eight years after that, our family of five was rounded out with a son, Matthew Carver, Jr.

When they were little girls, I loved taking Valerie and Teresa shopping at Orbach’s Department Store in Newark. My husband, Matthew, would remain in the car reading his Bible as we shopped for hours, often returning with only one small bag. Matthew would incredulously ask, “You’ve been gone for hours and that’s all you got??!!”

While raising a young family, a great career opportunity came along. A friend told me that they were hiring at Western Electric Company, in Kearny, NJ. I applied as a requisition clerk & typist and got the job! I worked at Western Electric for 30 years until the plant closed in 1984. During my tenure there, I wisely bought company stock, something Blacks did not do much of back then.

I applied my exceptional managerial skills to run our household. Even now, decades later, you can easily find any important paper imaginable, right down to my original birth certificate and baptismal certificate.

My husband and I were a very active couple. We loved to travel to Baptist Training Union conferences (BTU) and Senior Citizen gatherings in various cities. For several decades we belonged to the Parent’s Council at P.S. #34 School and the Citywide Parent’s Council as well as our Armstrong Avenue Block Association where I served as secretary. We always took time out to attend our Family Reunions where I would often share my famous potato salad. As for me, I was a lifelong member of Salem and also served as a Deaconess. I was also an active member of the Pioneers of America.

One of my proudest accomplishments was seeing Valerie, Teresa and Matthew Jr. graduate college. It was even more momentous seeing Valerie earn her Master’s in Counseling, Teresa earn a Law Degree, and Matthew earn 2 Master’s degrees – one in electrical engineering and the other in physics! I was also blessed with fine sons-in-law, Ronald, Sr., Valerie’s husband, and Ernest Sr., Teresa’s husband, and five grandchildren, whom I adore: Danielle, Maya, Ernest “EJ” Jr., Ronald Jr., and Aaren, . All my grands are well educated too. EJ has a Bachelor’s
degree, Danielle, Maya and Aaren have each earned their Master’s, and Ronnie is a lawyer! I enjoyed gathering with the family during holidays and throughout the year. I really enjoyed when Matthew and I took our grands to Liberty State Park and local farms.

In my later years, I took to wearing hats. Whenever you saw me, I had on a hat, fancy or casual. You could see me styling with a hat that matched my outfit. Also, you would often hear me calling out “MATTHEW?,” as my son would be by my side, helping me whenever he could. I enjoyed talking on the phone with my sister Gloria, as well as close family and friends. I was great at dispensing wisdom, kind words and sharing information. I loved to laugh, and some of my favorite pastimes throughout the years was watching singer Tom Jones, and movies Pretty Woman, The Bodyguard, and Coming to America.

Miriam stopped typing. The chapter was done. She hit the return key for the last time. She would miss Valerie and Ron, Teresa and Ernest, Matthew Jr., her 5 grands Danielle, Maya, EJ, Ronnie and Aaren, her sister Gloria and brother-in-law Kelsey Jr., sister-in law Naomi, nieces Gloria, Eunice, and Karen, nephews Butch, Luther Jr., Kelvin, Nate, Dwight, John and Kelsey III, her first cousins, her grand nieces and nephews, and all her family and close friends.

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