Oakalea Dembo

Oakalea “Lea” Dembo entered into God’s Kingdom on June 26th, 2022 at the age of 96. She passed on peacefully in her sleep.

Oakalea was born to Owen and Bessie Graves on December 17, 1925 in Danville, Virginia.

Oakalea married her first husband, Osman Mat and they went on to have two children, Michael and Dee Dee. After Osman’s passing, she was fortunate enough to find love a second time when she married Adolph Dembo. With that marriage she also gained three more children in Jeffrey, Sheera and Mitchell who she loved as her own.

In addition to being a dedicated and loving mother, Oakalea also loved working as a school secretary in the New York City School System, tending to her flowers, staying actively involved in St. Anthony’s parish, and holding various volunteer roles at the church and local hospital. Throughout her entire life, she held an unwavering faith in God, which she shared with those who surrounded her. She was truly a blessing to everybody whose life she touched.

Oakalea joins her parents, Owen and Bessie, her husbands Osman and Adolph, her siblings, Martha, Bill and Bess, and grandson Colin in Heaven. She is survived by her children, Michael, Dee Dee, Jeffrey, Sheera and Mitchell, her grandchildren, Jennifer, Jared, Jamie, Zachary, Tyler, Hannah, Evan, Doreen and Devon and her great-grandchildren, Emma, Addison and Jaden. She also leaves behind numerous loving nieces and nephews, friends and extended family.

Exodus 23:20

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”