Obituary of Aurelia E. O'Neal

Aurelia O’Neal received her notice from the lord that her battle was finally over. She entered her heavenly home on September 23rd, 2024, at Virtua Our lady of Lourdes hospital in Camden, New Jersey at 9:40 a.m. Early Life Aurelia O’Neal was born on July 7th, 1955, in Historic Lawnside, New Jersey to Mr. Handy O’Neal and Mrs. Carrie Mae Dixon O’Neal in her aunt Great Grandmother’s house on Charleston Ave. She is the third child out of eleven children. Aurelia was given the nickname “Middy” by her oldest brother due her being five pounds even at birth. This nickname was later changed to “Minnie”. She was raised in the home that her father built on 11 Atlantic Ave in Lawnside. Her childhood was filled with an abundance of love. Her grandmother Viola Dixson and great grandmother Mary Seaborn-Wofford were there to help with the family in the home. Education Aurelia was educated in the Lawnside school system. She attended the old Lawnside School from grades K-8. Upon completing 8th grade, she went into High school and selected Camden County Vocational and Technical School where she chose the trade of Landscaping Architecture also known as floral design and horticulture. She left school before completing grade 12 to take care of her sisters and brothers at home. Hard worker As a teenage she worked as a housekeeper cleaning motels in Blackwood, NJ. In the summer of 1976, she began working at Owens Corning working an assembly line as a material handler cutting large tile and packing fiberglass. She worked first, second and third shift. My mom was a pretty lady and caught the eye of a co-worker named Melvin Murphy and they dated briefly. In 1982 she was layed off from this position but there was a surprise! Aurelia was pregnant with her blessing and only child Arley! Mom was never one to take time off of work. She stayed home until her daughter was one and worked at a motel as a housekeeper to support herself and her daughter. In 1984 she began working at Greenbriar nursing home as a housekeeper for 5 years. In 1988 she worked for Brendenwood assisted living as a housekeeper until November of 1989 when her daughter was diagnosed with A.L.L(Leukemia). On March 23rd, 1991, Aurelia began working at Stratford Nursing and Convalesant home now known as Laurel Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing center in Stratford, NJ until 2023 when she had to retire due to illness. Otherwise, she would have retired at the beginning of 2024. Minnie dedicated 33 years of service to her position as a CNA caring for patients and sharing her beautiful spirit with her patients and co-workers. Love In 1992 she met the love of her life Ricardo Ancrum in Philadelphia, PA at a birthday party. He inquired about her marital status and found out she was single! They had a whirl wind romance as he showered her with love letters, gifts. She embraced his two beautiful daughters Adrienne and Robin as was ready to be a blended family. Aurelia and Ricardo moved three times before settling in her hometown Lawnside, NJ in 1997. After 10 years of being together he asked her for her hand in Marriage in 2003. She said Yes!!! They got married on June 13th, 2023, in Lawnside, New Jersey in their neighbor’s house in an intimate ceremony. Their neighbor was a minister. Aurelia always loved the way he loved her. She was a great wife and confidant to her husband. Her husband loved the ground she walked on and said that they never had an argument. He loved her deeply literally through sickness and in health. They had a lot in common being home bodies and loved to watch movies and sports together. This love lasted for 31 years, and they were blissfully married for 20 years. Family Aurelia was an excellent Daughter, Mother, Sister, Aunt, Cousin and Friend. She was affectionately known as Middy, Minnie, and Real. In her youth and early years, she and her older sisters helped to raise her brothers and baby sister. She was a caregiver to her mother and father. On January 7th, 1983, Aurelia was rushed to West Jersey Hospital to give birth to her baby which she would later find was a girl! She loved her daughter with all her heart. She worked hard to give her daughter the best of everything. Being a mother was her greatest joy! Although she wanted three children, she was grateful to the lord for the one he gave her. Before she was a mother, she was an aunt. Her nieces and nephews called her “aunt Middy”. When they had their children, she became their great aunt “Mimi”. In 1996 her stepdaughter made her a grandmother when she had Sabria and Tamia followed in 1997. Aurelia loved them so much. She loved being called “grandmom”. Minnie loved children and always looked out for the kids in the neighborhood and in the family. She loved her sisters who she talked to every morning on the phone. The love she had for her brothers and sisters was immense and will always be constant even though she’s in heaven. She had a gentle spirit but would let you know about yourself if she had to! Minnie was quiet but she was the life of the party around family! She could out dance all of her siblings and had a loved for the oldies! Everyone knew all of her favorites and she like her music loud! Hobbies Minnie liked watching old western shows and soap operas (General Hospital and the bold and the beautiful. This made her daughter a soap fan too. She was a fan of anything old especially the show “Dark Shadows” and Classic shows such as Good Times, Sanford and Son, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, the Little House on the Prairie were just a few of her favorites Following those shows she was a huge fan of “Shark Tank”, “Greys Anatomy and “Dancing with the stars”. She loved to Dance! Other hobbies include shopping, baking, Catalog shopping, going for walks and once again watching T.V.! Aurelia loved playing music especially anything from James Brown as she was his biggest fan! You couldn’t tell her that she wasn’t. Her daughter bought her and her sisters' tickets to see him in concert in Atlantic city in 2006. Minnie had plans to start traveling once she got well enough to do so. She really wanted to go on a cruise. Her dream was also a trip to Australia. Now with her new body she is able to be everywhere she wants to be dancing. Aurelia battle illness for a year and gave it a tremendous fight. Standing up against all of the odds stacked against her she remained positive and wanted to live. She was also at peace if the lord wanted her. Her relationship with God was strong! She would say “God is the best doctor we have in this world.” One of the last things she said days before her transition was “I’m alright”. We need to believe that she is because she was restored as soon as she took her last breath! Hallelujah! Aurelia was preceded in death by her mother and father Mr. and Mrs. Handy O’neal Jr. Two brothers Samuel R. O’Neal and Handy O’Neal Jr. Brother n Law John Chapman and sister n law Zina Branch. Mother and father n law Mr. Samuel Ancrum and Muriel Ancrum. An amazing Step-daughter Mrs. Adrienne Ancrum-Jones and Niece Qira Barthell. She leaves to cherish her memory: Her only child and daughter Arley Murphy, Loving and dedicated Husband Ricardo Ancrum, Loving step-daughter Miss Robin C. Ancrum, Beautiful Granddaughters Sabria Campbell and Tamia Campbell. Sisters: Ms. Jeanette Barthell, Ms. Carol Chapman, Ms. Mary O’Neal. Brothers: Esau O’Neal, Dennis O’neal, David O’Neal, Raymond O’Neal and Russell O’Neal. Sister n love: Mrs. Michelle O’Neal and Mrs. Trisha O’Neal.