Mary A. Draper, went home to be with the Lord on November 15, 2017.

Mary A. Draper (nee Little) was born June 22, 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia; to Rosa Lee Conyers and Aaron C. Little.  Both parents preceded her in death.

Mary was raised by her paternal grandmother, Lavonia Little.  It is in these humble beginnings, she accepted Christ at a very early age.   At the address in Atlanta, 251 Ira Street; Mary and her 1st cousin learned to play the piano.  Because of her early acceptance of Christ, she developed her love of singing in church. Mary played the piano and directed choirs in Atlanta and continued to do so when she relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.

Mary played and directed choirs from her late teens into her early twenties.  It is in her late twenties she began to develop another love, her love for quartet singing. From her late twenties and for most of her life, she sang in the Cleveland area and surrounding states.  She sung with several groups in Cleveland, just to name a few: The Original Six Gospel Writers (Big Mama Huff); The Gospel Imperials (Senesta Whatley); The Celestial Coets (Mary Ruth Spearman); The Swanee Nightingales (Willie Drake, Ted Forrest and Tommy White) and last, but certainly not least The New Six Gospel Writers (Ida Kenniebrew, Dorothy Sears, Johnnie Mae Tate) and many other great singers in the Cleveland area.

Besides many not knowing that Mary played the piano, she also wrote music. She wrote many the songs sung by the Writers, one of the most requested being “Burdens”.  She never bragged or boasted about her God-given talents.   This is why she loved All God’s Children now known as Men of Ministry – Walter, Brandon and Pastor Shawn – RIP.

Mary briefly lived in Alabama and Florida, but she always called Cleveland home. And it is in Cleveland, Ohio that she went home to glory.  She leaves to mourn, her one and only daughter Shawn; four grandchildren -James (Krystle), Calvin, Stacey and Briana. Eight great-grandchildren – Auzurae, Jakobian, Jayden, CJ, Chase, Kendall and Brandon. And if you really knew her, you knew the girls were her favorites. One sister – Carolyn Little and stepmother – Helen Little.

The family would like to thank everyone for your words of encouragement and prayers during this difficult time. Just know – Mary, Got Her Ticket!