Mrs. Direthea Ernell Cummings, 56, of Charlotte, NC departed this life on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at her residence.

Direthea E. Cummings (Reesie) passed away after a brief illness on Sunday, January 21, 2024, in Charlotte, NC.

Reesie was born to Florence V. (Kelly) and Willie A. Smith, Jr. on October 31, 1967, at St. John's Episcopal Hospital, Queens NY.   She lived her entire childhood at the family home in Rockville Centre, Long Island.  While there she spent her developmental years attending Malverne Public Schools where she was an exemplary student and was an active volleyball player, cheerleader, member of the Student Council, and lead in the school's musical production of "Annie Get Your Gun."

During this same time, Reesie was a very active member of her family church, H. Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in Far Rockaway, NY.  This is where her passion for music began.  She expressed her faithfulness to God through her work in the music ministry accompanied by her mom and other family members singing during service, afternoon programs, and other special gatherings.

Upon graduation from Malverne High School, she decided to attend the University of Maryland, College Park.  During her time in college, while pursuing her degree in Speech Communications, Direthea continued to display her faithfulness to God by finding a church home soon after her arrival to Maryland and joining their music ministry. Additionally, she was gaining lifelong friends through her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., Kappa Phi Chapter, her time living in the dormitories, participating in social events on campus as well as through her role as a member of the University of Maryland Gospel Choir.

After graduation, Direthea began her career as an Intellectual Property (IP) Paralegal, working internally at a number of multinational corporations such as Revlon and Estee Lauder, as well as prestigious law firms in the Maryland area. Her efforts centered around trademark search, registration, and protection for a wide variety of well-known brands. She most recently worked in this same capacity as an IP paralegal for Honeywell.

Direthea went on to marry John Cummings III, from which came the birth of their son, John Henry Cummings IV.  Following their divorce, John and Direthea worked closely to co-parent their son John.

In addition to her focus on her son John and his development, she also joined and was an active member of a number of churches until she found her church home at First Baptist Church of Glenarden where she was a member for 17 years. She was a highly active member of the music ministry singing with a number of praise teams and outside gospel groups to include Patrick Lundy and the Minsters of Music.  Also, while there, she worked on her very own solo music effort, an album entitled "Persuaded Worship" which was produced in 2019 and has received regional airplay as recently as this past week.

Direthea is survived by her son, John Henry Cummings, IV; her siblings, Willie A. Smith II and his wife Nancy, Sabrina Bradford, Aaron Smith and his wife Deanna; and a host of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends.