On September 4, 1937, in Newberry County, SC, Girlene Pressley Hamilton was born, the first child of Jim and Louella Pressley. The post-Depression birth of a child to sharecroppers in the Cotton Belt of the South offered little to which that child could aspire. While the expectations of society were marginal, Girlene thrived on the love of her parents, extensive family, and farm community.

Girlene’s family, seeking better social and economic opportunities, migrated to High Point, NC in December 1949. Until her high school graduation from William Penn High School, the family lived in urban and rural areas of High Point. She found comfort and confidence during those years. It was that self-assuredness that gave her the feeling that she was prepared to make a move to the North. Upon receiving her high school diploma, Girlene revealed her plan to accept a job in the Garment District of Brooklyn, NY.

Brooklyn proved to be a very fertile growth place, as Girlene attended schooling that enhanced her worth in the garment industry. Over the next thirty years, while starting a family and enjoying her new home, Girlene became a New Yorker. While in Brooklyn, she continued a relationship she had established with Jesus Christ, whom she had accepted as her personal Savior. That relationship was fundamental in her life, as she tragically lost her only child, Sharene, to the violence of Brooklyn. A return to High Point, NC at the end of the 1980’s was an opportunity for Girlene and husband, Albert Hamilton, to create a new life. While Albert took a position as a butcher at a local grocery store, Girlene became a fixture at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, where she remained until her retirement, a dozen years ago. Her life was met with tragedy, once again, as she lost her beloved Albert in a fire that ravaged their home. Still, she held on to her faith in her Creator.

Girlene Pressley Hamilton’s journey on Earth ended on October 15, 2022, after a seven-month long bout with failing health. At the time, she was a resident of Shannon Gray Rehabilitation Facility. The family thanks Shannon Gray for their expert, professional, and loving care. The family is also greatly thankful to the Olga Avenue Church of Christ, with which Girlene had a long and mutually faithful membership. Girlene Pressley Hamilton was preceded into eternity by a daughter, Sharene; husband, Albert Hamilton; parents, Jim and Louella Pressley; sisters, Catherine Pressley Miller, Mae Ella Pressley Wallace, and Donna Renee’ Pressley.

Left to grieve her passing are siblings: sister, Dora Pressley Bailey & Edward of Durham, NC; sister, Anne Pressley Roseboro of Greensboro, NC; brother, Willie Pressley & Pamela of High Point, NC; brother, J. Henry Pressley & Lydia Joye of High Point, NC; sister, Doris Pressley White & Christopher of Hillsborough, NC; sister, Brenda Pressley Baxter of Greensboro, NC; sister, Sharon Pressley Roberts & Stephen of Atlanta, GA; brother, W. David Allen & Virginia of Greensboro, NC. Also, she is survived by scores of nieces, nephews, cousins, family, other relatives, and friends, in both Carolinas, New York, Georgia, and across the country.

“Therefore, we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord (for we walk by faith, not by sight:) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and be present with the Lord”—II Corinthians 5:6-8

Funeral service will be held Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Olga Avenue Church of Christ, 1316 R. C. Baldwin Avenue. Interment will follow at Carolina Biblical Gardens. The family will receive friends at the church from 10:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.

Final arrangements are entrusted to Phillips Funeral Service, Inc.