Jerlean Ryce Easter was born September 12, 1937, in Noble Lake, Arkansas, the fourth child born to the late Mattie Spencer Rice. Her father was the late Frelon Edwards. She transitioned to Heavenly, eternal rest on Sunday, April 26, 2020, after a short illness.  Jerlean accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age. She was a member of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church where she actively served as a member of the ICUA as a nurse. She served her church faithfully until her health began to fail. She enjoyed cooking, traveling, visiting the sick, and spending time with her family and friends. She also was an avid basketball fan and enjoyed debating politics. She was co-proprietor of Easter’s grocery stores for many years. She also worked several years at O’Neil’s Department Store, as a sales associate.

She was preceded in death by her ex, Vernell (Luke) Easter; son, Lawrence E. Thomas; brother, Otis Ryce; and special nephew, Stephen Allen.

It is these individuals Jerlean leaves behind to cherish her loving memory and to carry on her legacy of love, loving granddaughter, Nicole A. Thomas (Michigan); daughter-in-law, Joyce A. Thomas (Michigan); sisters, Clara Ryce (Arkansas), Future Sims (California); nieces, Gloria Ann Grice-Gulley (California), Lisa Peer (Iowa), Gwen Moore (Texas), Pam Hall (Texas), Shirley Allen (Texas), Sharon Bryant (California), Cynthia Heads (California), Andrea Ryce (Ohio), Crysta Graves (Ohio), and Felicia Easter (Ohio); nephews, Rickey Bishop (Ohio), Michael Sims, Milton (Bug) Sims, Corey Sims, (California), Kelvin Sims, (California), Rodney Earl Ryce (California), and Odis Graves, (Ohio); loving Goddaughter, Andrea Poole “affectionately” known as, Babysister (Ohio); Godson Dorsey L. Matthews Jr. (Ohio), special friend Al White (Ohio) and close family friend, Lewis (LeeLee) Short (Ohio); a host of grand and great grandnieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.