Gladys Billups

Gladys Ball Billups, age 70, of North Chesterfield, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 19, 2026, surrounded by her loved ones at home. She was born Thursday, September 29, 1955, to Mr. Coleman Ball, Sr., and Mrs. Alma Persha Ball in Sumter, South Carolina. She was the second of five children, following Clayton and preceding Minnie Lee, Frankie, Sr., and Coleman Jr. At the age of five she moved with her family to Washington, DC, where she grew up along 12th and D Streets in Southeast Capitol Hill. She attended Watkins Elementary, Hine Junior High, and graduated from Chamberlain Vocational High School in 1974 after studying typist and secretarial training. After high school, Gladys began working for the federal government at the Department of Agriculture as a Secretary. She would eventually transition to the Internal Revenue Service and advance in her career by becoming a Management Analyst. She ultimately worked as a Federal civil servant for 33 years and retired in 2011.

She adored her growing family, becoming the proud aunt to Abraham Kebede, Jr., and Antonio Ball in the late 1970s and Frankie Ball, Jr., in 1983. She eventually met and married Stanley Billups in 1984, and together they bore a son, Michael, in 1985. Over the years she helped her parents, siblings, and cousins put together countless cookouts and get-togethers, and organized and participated in numerous family reunions. As the family grew larger and older and she neared retirement, she moved along with her mother, sister, and brother Coleman to her current home outside of Richmond in 2008.

Displaying the same qualities as her mother, she embodied a deep strength in caregiving for family and friends; over the years she was a source of comfort and a steady presence during seasons of difficulty and bereavement. You could always count on Gladys when times got hard, even if it meant putting others before herself. Gladys was known for her compassion and kindness and found joy in dancing, roller skating, traveling, shopping, and spending quality time with her dear family and friends.

Her life was centered on family and faith. After studying with friends from high school, she was baptized as one of Jehvoah’s Witnesses in 1975. Her deep and abiding faith was shown by her works, auxiliary pioneering at various times over the years to share the good news with strangers, family, and friends. She was studious and took copious notes at assemblies and conventions. As she grew older and could not pursue the ministry physically, she wrote letters to give a witness, and when she could not physically attend meetings, she was logged on via Zoom. Indeed, she was strong in the faith until the end and had great hope in the promised Resurrection to come.

She is survived by her son, Michael; brothers, Frank (Dot) and Coleman; cousin, Laverne (Ernie Sr.); nephews, Antonio and Frankie Jr. (Latoya); great niece, Makayla Antonia Preston; and many more cousins and extended family. Gladys was preceded in death by her parents, Coleman and Alma; older brother and sister, Clayton and Minnie; and nephew, Abraham Kebede, Jr.