Obituary of Beyonka M Utley

Beyonka Marie Walden-Utley was born June 16,1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To the late great Faye Stephens and Leroy Lighty. From youth, Beyonka was always a ray of sunshine and a pure ball of joy with the voice of an angel and a heart of gold. She grew up and spent portions of her childhood in Philadelphia, PA as well as Camden, NJ. Where she attended the schools of Strawberry Mansion, East Camden Middle School and Woodrow Wilson High School. Ultimately Camden would become her main stomping grounds and the city that shaped and molded her into the young lady and woman that she would later become. It would also be the same place that she would eventually go on to meet and marry Donald Utley. Together they would form their union and share five children. Markeith Walden, Breyona Walden, the late Brienna Walden, Dontay Walden and Travies Utley. Beyonka would experience a few trials and tribulations during her early adulthood but would eventually overcome each and every single one of them as she continued to walk in her purpose and fully embrace her relationship with God. She started her spiritual journey at Judith, which was the first church she joined and served for many years until she found her true church home Living Faith Christian Center. LFCC is where her faith would truly be strengthened, and she would evolve even more in the word of God. So much so that she would eventually start her own prayer line called Faith Hope and Love, which was her pride and joy. She woke up every morning faithfully at 5am wanting and willing to be a vessel to share God’s word. Throughout her life Beyonka would always obtain a plethora of jobs to maintain and provide for her family. For many years she held a career in different types of customer service whether it was telemarketing or account’s receivables, this would be the area where she found her niche. She would even go on to start her own business, B&B Unlimited Cleaning Services. Which was a major accomplishment for her because she finally had a company of her own and could work for herself. Beyonka was a woman of many talents but if you knew her then you know that it was certain things that were just purely God’s gift to her, one of them being her voice. Beyonka would sing the roof off of someone’s church, house, establishment, work environment, car etc.…it didn’t matter when or where, any time she got the chance to showcase her vocals trust and believe she would without any shadow of a doubt. She could hit high notes that would leave you with chills and touch your soul. One of her most important gifts was the hands God blessed her with to throw down in that kitchen! Her cooking was simply undeniable. Although she wasn’t a certified chef by trade, you couldn’t tell anyone any different. If you had one of Beyonka’s plates you were officially hooked for life and was guaranteed to shout a few words that may not have been so Godly..Lol! All due to the pure satisfaction that her food gave you. From her roast beef to her collard greens, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, string beans, fried fish, ham, meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I mean man, if you name it, she could make it, she would literally make something out of nothing and every dish would be made with love. Of course, we could never forget about her legendary fried chicken and banana pudding! She could make anything but when it came down to those two things she was truly an embodiment of her mother, the late great Faye Stephens, who was also a great cook. Her cooking would ring bells the same way her mothers would and if you were hungry, she would not think twice about feeding you. People would wait patiently with excitement for Thanksgiving to come around because they knew no matter how much food they cooked of their own or who’s house they ate at; you could never let the holiday end without stopping at Aunt B’s to get you a couple of plates. If you knew Beyonka, then you know that it was certain things that she did not play about and that was the Lord, her husband, her children and her grand babies. Whether it was mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally or financially. Rain, sleet or snow it didn’t matter, Beyonka would never hesitate to give her last or go above and beyond in every way, shape, form and fashion to make sure her family was good at all times. Just as she would do anything for her immediate family, she would also do the same for anyone else. Whether it was her nieces and nephews, her siblings, her aunts and uncles, cousins, coworkers, her children’s friends whom she became like a 2nd mother to many and even down to strangers. She would open her ears, her heart, her arms and her door to almost anyone. Beyonka was the go-to person for everything and everybody. If you needed some business handled, call B. If you needed your taxes done, call B. If you were hungry or you needed a few dollars, call B. If you needed some paperwork filled out or needed help understanding something, call B. If you had to get some stress off your chest and needed a therapist to talk about the things that were going on in your life, call B! No matter what the topic of discussion was you can guarantee the conversation would always include God and once you were done talking to B, you would feel like a weight was lifted off of your shoulders. Beyonka was many things to many people but most importantly she was a woman of God. Beyonka may no longer be with us in the physical, but she is our precious jewel that will forever live on with us in our hearts, our minds and in spirit. Beyonka was preceded in death by her parents Faye Stephens, Eligah Stephens, Leroy Lighty, Beatrice Lighty. Son, Leroy Walden. Daughter, Brienna Walden. Brother, Ronnie Rogers Sr. Sister, Sally Agurs. Beyonka is survived by her husband, Donald Utley. 4 children, Markieth Walden Sr., Breyona Walden, Dontay Walden, Travies Utley Sr..8 grandchildren, Markieth Walden Jr., Diora Marie Green, Travies Utley Jr., Darrell Green Jr., Markaz Walden, Adria Marie Walden, Tyton Vega-Walden, Markelle Walden. 4 sisters, Diane Rogers, Robin Baxley, Carrie Scarborough, Sandra Stephens. 1 brother, Lester Rogers Sr..and a host of Aunts and Uncles, Nieces and Nephews, Cousins and Friends. Son-in-law Darrell Green Sr..Daughter-in-laws Jale Vasquez and Jessica Hernandez. Goddaughter Leslie Brown.