Obituary of Willie A. Peebles

Willie Andrew Peebles was born in Birmingham Alabama on February 20, 1951 to Willie Lee Peebles and Helen Peebles. Willie was the third oldest of sixteen siblings. Willie attended and graduated from Wingate High School located in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, playing fun games was an important part of his childhood; along with his siblings and the neighborhood kids such as the Williams family. Kick the Can, Hot Peas-and-Butter, and Johnny-on-the-Pony were among his favorite games. Willie spent hours in the park playing Handball, he was good at it too! Willie Andrew was raised in a Christian home; he stayed grounded to his faith. Willie had an awesome voice with a unique sound. With that sound, he was the lead singer of the family group The Soul Travelers. His favorite songs included: The Love of God, It Is Going to Be A Meeting, and One Day At A Time Sweet Jesus. In 1971, Willie met and later married Sandra Martinez. In this union, they had five children Willie Jr. (Gerell), Patricia, Quatina, Jenee and Andre. Willie loved his family and provided for his children to the best of his ability. Willie often spoke of each of them and was planning a huge dinner with his children and grandchildren. Willie Andrew was the first of his siblings to maintain a full-time job and in his younger years he contributed to his household. He was always hardworking and a dependable employee up to his retirement as a Facility Custodian. All his life Willie had a niche for fixing things with his hands. He was a handyman by heart. His innovative works included radios and doorbells. He managed to add his own creative twist to his work such as building a radio from scratch, doorbell installation, A-track tape decks, and surprisingly he made his own pair of shoes. We called him "Inspector Gadget". Willie's creativity extended to storytelling, "Going on the Bear Hunt" is a story that will be passed on from generation to generation. All the children would flock to Uncle Onya (that was his family name) to hear him recite with excitement and adventure of "Going on the Bear Hunt". Throughout the years, Willie was known to be a social butterfly, the life of the party, full of smiles and jokes. He loved his music; whether at a family and friend get together, a wedding, or just hanging out, Willie was determined to have fun! Armed with a drink in one hand, one eyes squinted and a smile on his face, he was known to cut up on the dance floor. However, Willie's style never surpassed the 70's. His staple style items included Kango Hats, suspenders, and a chain holding his wallet and keys. His family knew if he stepped out in his favorite white suit, he was there to have a good-ole time. Despite his social life, Willie always kept a hand on the Lord. Months before his transition Willie calmed down and that hand on the Lord grew stronger. Willie would often participate in prayer with his family, his conversation changed, and he would find himself preaching. He encouraged himself and others with biblical scriptures and inspired us all to hold on to our faith in God. His last text message to his siblings was "He do what he will and will what he does" that he, was pertaining to the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely God's will has been done. We will truly miss Willie Andrew. Willie Andrew now joins his beloved mother Helen Peebles, his siblings Cleveland, Sarah, Perry and Calvin, his sister in law Cheyenne Peebles, his grandmothers Sarah Powell and Lacy Trotter, his uncles, and aunts. Willie Andrew leaves to mourn his father Bishop Willie Lee Peebles, his children Willie III. (Gerell), Patricia, Quatina, Jenee and Andre, his siblings Frank, Jerry, Helen Marie, James, Earline, Ricky, Anthony, John Isaiah, Teletha, Tonya, and Michelle, his brothers in-laws Bobby, Karim, Kenneth, and Morris, his sisters in-law Judy and LaShawn. His nineteen grandchildren and six great grandchildren, a host of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.