Edith Ford was born on October 24, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, to Cozell and Rosie Mathews. She was the third of seven children. Edith accepted Christ at a young age and was baptized at Second New Hope Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

Edith attended East High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Most memorably, Edith worked as a Medicare Patient Account Representative at Mt. Sinai Hospital until it closed in 2000. She accepted a Patient Account Representative position at Cleveland Clinic and worked there until she retired.

Edith’s passion was bowling. She was in a bowling league until she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2003. Edith credited bowling for discovering her illness; she often said, “If my shoulder didn’t hurt when I was bowling, who knows how long it would have been before I realized that something was wrong?” Nonetheless, Edith did not let her diagnosis crush her spirit and will to live. Through all her treatments, she still worked and lived a normal life.

Another of Edith’s favorite pastimes was spending time with family and friends. She enjoyed sharing meals with those she loved, and frequently went to dinner with her family and friends to laugh and talk about any and everything. Edith was always on-the-go and did not allow retirement or illness to keep her from living and enjoying a full life.

Above all, Edith kept her faith in God. In 2015, South Pointe Hospital featured Edith in their newsletter as their longest surviving Multiple Myeloma patient. She stated that she no longer prayed for healing but for the Lord to use her so that others would see His goodness and mercies. She lived an additional 20 years after her initial cancer diagnosis.

Edith peacefully passed on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. She will always be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. Edith was preceded in death by her parents, Cozell, and Rosie; brothers, Willie, and Ronald; and sister, Mary Alice, who died in infancy.

Edith is survived by her daughter, Antoinette (Michael); granddaughter, Jessamyn (Dontezes); sisters, Betty (David) and Shirley; and brother, Rosevelt; as well as a host of family and friends to cherish her memory.