Azzie Lee O’Neal McGehee, 95, passed away on September 27, 2026, at the St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Azzie was born to Rosetta Merrill and Damascus O’Neal on the Valley/Hollywood Plantation outside of Winchester, Arkansas, on December 10, 1930.
She completed grades 1-8 at the Cypress Grove School on the plantation, and finished her last four years of school at the Wolfe Project High School located in the Wolfe Project Community.
A week after graduating high school, she accepted a secretarial job with the Cooperative Extension Service, where she was also paid to be the librarian for the Black library. Before retiring, she worked for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service in McGehee.
On October 23, 1950, Azzie was united in holy matrimony with Alonzo McGehee, Jr. Five children were born unto this union: Lois Jean, Mary Alice, Larance Marie, Carol Rosetta, and Marcus Cleveland.
Azzie lived a life of love for God, her family, and the community. She was an active member of the St. Peter A.M.E. church for almost 70 years; created a 4-H club in the Black community that for over 50 years impacted the lives of Black youth; and was a dedicated member of the McGehee Hospital Auxiliary, the McGehee Extension Homemakers Club, and the Southeast Cemetery Maintenance Association. She and her husband were also business owners.
Azzie was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 56 years; her sisters: Dorothy Orr, Diana Myles, Mary Owens; her brothers: Cleveland Jones, Troy Lee, Ralph Oates, and Adolph Oates.
She leaves to cherish her memories her daughters: Jean Tyler of Annapolis, MD; Lois Davis (Norman, Sr.) of Upper Marlboro, MD; Mary McGehee of Little Rock, AR; Larance Johnson of Sherwood, AR; and Carol Jackson (James) of Pine Bluff, AR; sons: Marcus McGehee and Jason McGehee (Ebony) of Little Rock, AR. She is also survived by five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews, and people who adopted her as their own mother: Sylvester Mitchell, Rehema Olufemi, and Molly Bratton.
A Celebration of her life will be held at St. Peter A.M.E. Church, 102 C.D. Willis Drive in McGehee, AR, on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.
A viewing will be held from 10-11 a.m. Interment will follow at the Bates, Lamb, and Gray Cemetery on Highway 65 in McGehee.