BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — More than 750 people packed Mt. Olivet Baptist Church Saturday afternoon to celebrate the life of Ruth Whitfield, the oldest of the 10 victims killed in Tops two weeks ago.
“She loved us unconditionally,” Garnell Whitfield Jr. said of her mother. “She supported us.”
In addition to hundreds of family and friends, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff flew in from Washington DC to commemorate Whitfield. Also in attendance at the service were Attorney Ben Crump, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman Brian Higgins, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia, New York State Senator Timothy Kennedy, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, and others.
The vice president was not scheduled to speak, but the Rev. Al Sharpton insisted during his eulogy.
“I’m going to break protocol,” Sharpton said, before walking to another microphone on the pulpit. “We should insist that we listen to the Vice President of the United States of America.”
Harris was greeted with a standing ovation as she stepped forward to speak. She talked for about five minutes.
“The pain that this family feels right now, and nine other families here in Buffalo, I cannot begin to express our collective pain as a nation, which they feel in such an extreme way,” Harris said.
“She didn’t deserve to die,” Garnell Whitfield Jr. said.
In addition to being a loving wife, Ruth Whitfield is survived by her four children, Robin, Angela, Garnell Jr., and Raymond. She was also the grandmother of nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Whitfield was loved by dozens of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
“He had been taking care of his seeds all his life,” Garnell Jr. said with his hand on his chest. “She was taking care of us her whole life, she knew what she was doing.”
Whitfield was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on April 7, 1936. The family said that growing up was challenging and that led her to stay out of school, but she grew smart and articulate. Later in her life, Whitfield achieved a lifelong dream of hers, proudly earning her GED.
Whitfield loved to cook for her family, making homemade syrup, cookies, and macaroni and cheese. He also loved fishing, camping, playing casinos, and getting the best deals at thrift stores.
Whitfield’s family said she was a selfless leader and a proud black woman who stood up for her family.
He married Garnell Whitfield Sr. on July 1, 1954. The vice president recognized Whitfield Sr., Ruth’s husband of 68 years, during his speech. Whitfield Sr., who has vascular dementia, received a standing ovation.
Ruth Whitfield went to visit her husband at his nursing home before going to Tops two weeks ago. She is remembered as a soul mate and caretaker for her husband, who also suffered a traumatic brain injury, according to her family.
“We are stronger than those who would try to harm us think we are,” Harris stressed. “The true measure of strength is not who you hit, it’s who you pick up.”
“We will not allow little people to instill fear in our communities,” Harris said. “We will not be afraid to stand up for what is right, to speak the truth.”
Harris met with the Whitfield family and families of other victims before the funeral and went to the Tops memorial after the funeral.
Reference-www.wkbw.com