Ozia Mae Sturgis

Reflections of Ozia

Ozia Mae Hammond Sturgis survived the Corona Virus in the spring of 2020 and lived to see 94 years of life before passing on at Calvary Hospital on January 17, 2021. She was born on June 21, 1926 in Harlem, Georgia and was the eldest of ten children, to the late Leora (Johnson) Hammond, a homemaker and Abbie Austin Hammond, a farm laborer and factory worker. After her father died prematurely, Ozia moved to Ashville, North Carolina at the age of 15 to find work and financially help her family. Following the Great Migration from the south, she moved to Harlem, New York in the 1940’s, where she met and married Jimmie L. Sturgis. They celebrated 34 years of marriage before he passed in 1987. Together they raised seven children, instilling in them the importance of education, a strong work ethic and the value of family.

Service has been a hallmark of her career and personal life. Her willingness to serve helped countless people who have crossed her path. When the family moved to the Bronx, Ozia received training from the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) which helped her start a career in health care. Consequently, she served as a Family Care Manager at the newly opened Martin Luther King Health Center in the Bronx, where she worked for 19 years. She also served for years as a Tenant Organizer in the Webster Houses, helping to found the neighborhood tenant’s association and tenant patrol to maintain a safe environment for all families. After retiring from the health center, Ozia was a Director at Leake and Watts Group Home for Girls for ten years. She was so well-regarded that a five-minute walk home from work often took a half hour or more as she stopped to chat with friends and neighbors.

Even in retirement, Ozia remained active in her church and her community. She achieved a lifelong goal and completed her education by earning a four-year certificate in Divine Counseling from Bible Church of Christ Theological Institute in the Bronx. She served on the board of trustees and as treasurer at Morrisania Baptist Church and later became a member of the Evangelical Church of God. Ozia also served as past President and Vice President of the Board of Directors at the William Hodson Senior Center where she hosted a sharing and caring circle for seniors. She was a long-time member of the Order of the Eastern Star Fraternal Organization and served as a Worthy Grand Matron of the Adah Chapter. She received congressional recognition for her life and work on the occasion of her 80th birthday in 2006.

In addition to her husband Jimmie, Ozia was predeceased by her beloved son, Alan Sturgis; longtime friend and companion, Mr. Berry Hardy; sisters, Jerlean Hanks, Ruth Hargrove and Elizabeth Hammond; brothers, Charles (Ozziah) Hammond, Abbe Hammond and John Hammond.

She leaves to cherish her life and legacy six children son, Jimmie Sturgis; daughters, Yolanda Sturgis Wilson, Ingrid Sturgis Lake, Lauren Sturgis Bey, Karen Sturgis and Colette Sturgis; sons-in-law, Edwin B. Lake, David Townes, and Mwamba Bey; seven grandchildren, Sean Malik Sturgis, Nikole Sturgis, Natalie Sturgis, Yanick Trevor Gordon, Gyasi Sturgis- Finney, Zaid Bey, Kamaria Townes; great-grandson, Isaiah Taylor; sisters, Mildred Bethel, Martha Francis, and Lillian DeVeaux and a host of other relatives, friends and loved ones.

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