"Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; live like it's heaven on earth." —
Mark Twain

My Sister's Story

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then, in His image and likeness, He created the second daughter of the late Clifford and Adarine Kurtz, born to them on March 30, 1957 in Washington, DC. They named her Felecia Ione.

And God thought, "That's good."
As she grew strong and full of grace, God said to Felecia, "I've breathed into you the breath of life. What will you do to honor me?"

From her spirit she responded, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee." So she gave of herself. At Manly Street Christian Church (now Macedonia New Life), she worked faithfully as a junior usher, sang in the Junior Choir and later in the New Spirit Gospel Choir. She actively participated in the Women's Fellowship and founded Kids for Christ Years later, she transferred her membership to Higher Call Cosmopolitan Church where she continued her service in the gospel choir and other ministries as needed.

Her singing wasn't restricted to the church choir. She really enjoyed the harmonies of the golden oldies and sang them with fervor and enthusiasm whenever the mood struck her.

Felecia's spirit exuded love. People were instandy drawn to her sweet spirit and looked to her for comfort, a word of wisdom, friendship, good conversation, and good fun. If you were fortunate enough to be in her presence for even a short time, you could count on her to throw her head back and laugh, long and hard until the tears began to flow. She was always available with a listening ear and a willingness to help those in need.

It was out of love that she and her husband Roy Gillis (deceased) created their daughters, Adrianne and Bethany. As a single parent, she raised them by great sacrifice and with tender mercies because she loved them best.

Then God said, "That's good." She mastered the art of love and was learning to live.

Felecia was a smart, popular student who graduated from Sanderson High School in 1975. Four years later, she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, VA.

Full of ambitious dreams, she moved to New York City to take a position with the United Church of Christ working with Youth and Young Adult Ministries. A few years later, she returned to Raleigh and worked for Wake County Social Services before joining the staff of the North Carolina Department of Justice where she worked as a paralegal for the 17 years preceding her death.

But that was not enough to satisfy the requirements of living her life with purpose. She began to affiliate herself with a variety of organizations geared towards the betterment of mankind, including the Racial Reconciliation Fellowship, aiding the Obama Campaign, and most recently, serving as the Administrative Team Leader for The Encouraging Place, whose goal is to reach out and touch sisters everywhere with the love of Jesus Christ. In January of this year, she began a master's program in Adult Education.

Being the social creature that she was, she made scores of friends and acquaintances wherever she went. Felecia met regularly with her "Breakfast Buddies" and various meet-ups for good fellowship, good food, and a good time (especially if there was a cruise involved).

Then God exclaimed, "That's good. You've learned to love and you've learned to live. Now what?" "Now Lord," she answered. "I'm going to dance!"

So she put on her favorite dancing shoes and moved her feet to the rhythms of love and life and joy and pain and grief and hope - in celebration of life and in honor to God, sometimes to the beat of a different drummer. Those who knew her well know that she didn't tiptoe through life. Instead, she lived a dancing lifestyle full of enthusiasm, joy, grace, and jubilee.

Then on a beautiful springtime day, Felecia's heart skipped a beat and she lay on a hospital gurney wondering why the rhythm of her life had been disturbed. As she lay there seeking comfort, she said, "You can take my shoes off now." So I removed her dancing shoes and covered her feet with a warm blanket.

In response, she closed her eyes and smiled, thinking about the people who made her life worth the living: her daughters, Adrianne Michelle and Bethany Joy Gillis of Raleigh, NC; one sister, Shirlita (Timothy) of Raleigh, NC; three aunts -Hazel Buchanan of Raleigh, NC, Geraldine K. Matthews (Herbert) of Los Angeles, CA, Inez K. Lindsay of Baltimore, MD; one uncle, Wilbur Kurtz (Kitty) of Compton, CA; one nephew, Timothy K. McFarland; one niece, Briana L. McFarland; and three special cousins, Virginia K. Brown, Hazel "Liz" Hedgepeth (Dwayne), and LaShonda Kearney, all of Raleigh; and scores of cousins, friends, and co-workers.

Then, without warning, God whispered in her ear, "Felecia, you've done all I asked you to do. You loved, you lived, you sang, you danced. It is finished."
Hallelujah and Amen