L. Esther Mcdade

Life’s Reflections

Lee Esther McDade was born October 14,1943 in Belzoni, Mississippi to Annie and Clifton Newton. She was the eighth of nine children.

Esther accepted Christ at a young age at Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Belzoni. She also received her formal education in Mississippi. She graduated from Lanier High School and Utica Junior College where she majored in Nursing.

After completing junior college, Esther moved to Omaha, Nebraska where she married the love of her life Sam McDade. The two exchanged vows on March 30,1967 and remained married for 51 years until his passing in 2018.

Esther was a woman of many talents. In the 1980’s - she, Sam and Nick McDade opened the McDade Gift Shop on 33rd and California in Omaha. She managed the store while Sam worked. The store provided North Omaha residents with knick knacks and snacks.  Esther would often sell the leftover candy from the gift shop to the children in her neighborhood making the McDade house one of the favorite houses on the block. The neighborhood kids affectionately called Esther “The Candy Lady.”

While Esther had a few ventures outside of the house. It was inside her home where she made the greatest impact. Lee Esther was a consummate homemaker. She took great pride in making her house a home for her family. Her children recall coming home from school with plates of food on the table neatly labeled for each one of them.

Esther loved watching Westerns and the Food Network. Viewing her food shows only enhanced her already rich repertoire of recipes. She was a phenomenal cook. Her delicious dishes and delectable desserts were loved by family and friends. From her homemade Chicken and Dumplings and biscuits - to her banana pudding and Mississippi Mud Cake - no one could touch Esther in the kitchen.

To know Esther was to love her. She was a positive person who always wore a sweet smile. She was a woman of great strength and grace. Her sense of humor was one of a kind and her mind was as sharp as a tack.  And no matter what challenges life threw at her, she never complained or gave up.

Esther was exactly what her family needed her to be - a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. There are many people who will cherish her memory including her children: Yolanda McDade, Christopher McDade (Brenda), Todd McDade (Serese) and her grandchildren Alexxis McDade, Tyler McDade and Jordan McDade. She also leaves behind her siblings Leon Newton, Mariella N. Wells (Bay) and Gwendolyn N. Johnson (Lo) along with a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends.

Lee Esther McDade transitioned to eternal rest on April 7, 2022. She was preceded in death by her parents Annie and Clifton Newton and her siblings: Elizabeth N. Diggs, Clifford N. Greene, Leroy Newton and Marguerite N. Smith and her devoted husband Sam McDade.