Paulette Grant was active in church ministries.
Grant died Monday, Sept. 10, 2012 after battling cancer. She was 53.
She was the youngest of six siblings, born to Betty Coates and the late Floyd Coates Sr. on April 30, 1959 in Philadelphia. She was educated in the Philadelphia public school system and attended Community College of Philadelphia. While she stayed busy with various volunteer activities and church ministries, her top priority was always her family.
She married Anthony P. Grant on June 20, 1981 and from this union two children were born.
At the age of 17, she joined Deliverance Evangelistic Church under the pastorate of the Rev. Benjamin Smith Sr., where she began serving on several ministries, some of which included the choir, Sunday school, the Bible institute and the Bookstore.
Her favorite ministry was Voices of Inspiration, where she was able to combine her passion for singing and helping others to encourage bereaving families through song. She was still a faithful member of 36 years at Deliverance at the time of her passing, under the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. Glen Spaulding.
She was an amazing family woman and great friend. She was constantly running errands for her parents, husband and children, getting special “just because” gifts for a loved one or just lending a listening ear to a friend in need.
“She had a gorgeous smile that could brighten up any room,” her family said.
She was a true daddy's girl and loved spending time with her dad whether it was shopping, singing or just watching old cowboy movies with him.
“Like her father, she was a stern woman, but had a gentle heart. She was straight-forward and spoke how she felt, but it was always out of love,” her family said.
Some of her favorite things included watching house décorating and renovation shows on HGTV, and working out and cycling with her gym buddies at Sisters in Shape gym. She enjoyed listening to her favorite gospel music station, Praise 103.9 specifically “The Lonnie Hunter Show,” and watching her favorite televangelists T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Charles Stanley and Joyce Meyer on TBN and Day Star networks. She watched them daily and often until she fell asleep to them at night.
When she wasn’t watching her favorite shows, she was somewhere bragging about her daughters. She glowed when she spoke of all their accomplishments. Her grandson, R.J. was a ray of sunshine in her life and she was so proud to learn that she had a new grandbaby on the way.
In addition to her husband of 31 years, Grant is survived by her children, Jamilah and Leslie; mother, Betty Coates; brothers and sisters Floyd Jr., James (Geraldine), Christine, Virginia (Harold); grandson, Raymond Jr.; two son-in-laws Raymond and Will; and other relatives and friends.
Services will be held Sept. 15 at Deliverance Baptist Church, 2001 West Lehigh Ave. Viewing is at 8:30 a.m. Services will follow at 10 a.m. Burial is in Fairview Cemetery.
Ervina White Beauford Funeral Service handled the arrangements.
