Toleda Knox Addison

Toleda K. Addison was born in East Spencer, North Carolina and received her earliest religious training from her mother Mrs. Gertie Knox Stalling, a devout Christian and also from her mother's church.  Southern City AME Zion in East Spencer.  Toleda always adhered to her mother's encouragement of Christian behavior. After her mother's death, Toleda and her brother George Knox, moved to West Columbia, South Carolina to live with an aunt Mrs. Essie Jackson, who continued to instill and motivate them in Christian living.  At the age of eleven, Toleda became a member of Double Branch AME Church (now, Turner Memorial AME Church.) Before moving to South Carolina, Toleda attended elementary school at Dunbar School in East Spencer, North Carolina, she later became a student at Lakeview High School in West Columbia, from which she graduated and later earned a B.A. degree from Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina. Toleda taught in the public schools of South Carolina and Virginia for ten years before transferring to the Department of Recreation and Parks in Richmond, Virginia where she served in many capacities before her retirement in  1987 as a district superintendent.  Toleda was married to Carrol Addison who was a great inspiration to her in each of her Christian endeavors.  Mt. Sinai had been his boyhood church and although they lived away for many years and supported many other churches during that period of time, as well as remembering Mt. Sinai on various occasions, when they returned to this area to live, they immediately launched forth their Christian efforts in support of this church.  Having always been one who lived by her motto.  "Bloom where you planted," Toleda soon found herself busy with many projects in Christian education which included the following:  organization and direction of the annual Vacation Bible School Organization and direction of the annual "Mother's Day" Celebration and fundraiser, founder of the Toleda K. Addison Educational Fund, planning with other church members for the annual Black History Month Celebration, conducting the Black History Postage Stamp collection contest, offering cash prizes for winners and assisting with youth programs.  She also worked through the pastor to have "Our Daily Bread" religious booklets delivered to our church for distribution to members and others for daily reading as a part of our ministry. She was happy that God had so blessed her to be able to serve Him through her dedicated service to others.  She leaves many family and friends who loved her.