Fayetta Renay Norwood

Ms. Fayetta Renay Norwood died Jan. 4, 2014, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. She was born Nov. 13, 1954, in Winfield, Kan., the only daughter of Lafayette and Betty Ann Norwood.
She graduated from Wichita Heights High School in 1972, and went on to take some classes studying dentistry. In March 1976, she gave birth to her first child, Alexius S. Norwood (Lex). Two years after the birth of her second child, Akeshia R. Norwood (Kesh) in 1980, she moved to Topeka upon receiving a pianist position at First Church of God In Christ with fellow family friend and pianist Vickie Divers. As a local church pianist in Topeka, she began doing guest appearances for different churches around town and in 1984 became the musical director at Abundance of Life Church of God in Christ, in which she remained until 1985. In 1985, she and her children moved to Lawrence to be closer to family, and became the musical director for Overcoming Church of God in Christ, and was there from 1988-1994. From 1994 to present, she went on to hold several musical positions for the City of Lawrence, from playing piano for the Lawrence chapter of Women’s Aglow, to also playing for the “LINK” food outreach program, and aided her mother, Betty Ann Norwood, for several years. In 2004, she moved to Albany, New York, to join her son in writing and recording music, writing over 120 Gospel songs, essays, short stories, and poems over a period of 20 years, living in such places as Albany, Houston, and Nashville, where she did some original recordings of her musical works. While residing in Nashville, she became ill, and with a combination of loss of family members and illness, decided to move back to Lawrence with son Alexius (Lex) in 2012. On Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014, she lost her battle with heart failure and kidney failure. She leaves to morn two children, Alexius S. Norwood and Akeshia R. Norwood, one brother, Cory Norwood, her father, Lafayette Norwood, and two nieces, Ashlynn and Janee’ Norwood, all of Lawrence, and a host of friends and relatives. She joins in glory brother Seth E. Norwood and mother Betty Ann Norwood. Her legacy is and was to be a power woman of God first, a good mother, and a faithful servant using the gift God gave her providing her musical talents to the Church Of God In Christ for over 25 years…she will be missed. May she rest in peace.
Funeral services will be at 2 pm Friday at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 1 pm until service time Friday. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Fayetta Norwood Memorial Fund, in care of the funeral home, 601 Indiana St., Lawrence, KS, 66044. Online condolences may be sent at rumsey-yost.com.
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