John Bligh
- Retired Teacher
Loletha Reid-Washington was known among the staff and families of PS 150 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, as a tremendously caring teacher and a supportive colleague. She died on Aug. 13, 2024, at her home in Dover, Delaware. She was 73.
Loletha, who retired in 2007, was born and raised in Brownsville and began her career in 1975 after earning her education degree at Brooklyn College. She quickly established herself as a loving and committed teacher among her students in Brownsville, where she was known as “Mama Wash.” One colleague, paraprofessional Geraldine Ragland, said Loletha “never looked at them as ‘children who could fall through the cracks’ or ‘wayward children’ — she treated them like they were her children.” Loletha kept tabs on her students and their families. “She always knew if there was something wrong,” Ragland said. “And she would talk with them like they were human beings. She would make sure they went to the nurse, to the dentist – she really cared about these kids’ well-being.” Loletha also worked with the city’s Free Summer Meals program every year.
Loletha looked after her colleagues as generously as she cared for her students. Another colleague, Stacie Perry, worked in the computer lab at the school when Perry was still getting her teaching degree, which Loletha encouraged her to complete. Loletha introduced her brother to Perry; the two eventually married, and Loletha and Perry became sisters-in-law and dear friends as well as colleagues.
Loletha transitioned to being the literacy coach at PS 150 in the latter part of her career and took great pride in fostering a love of reading in her students, possibly because her mother and father hadn’t been able to read, said her husband, Arthur Washington.
Loletha was a “living part” of her students’ lives, said Perry. “We had students she ‘adopted’ as sons and daughters, and their children became her grandchildren.” She attended countless family events in the community – baby showers, weddings, barbecues – and remained in touch with many of her students until she died.
When Ragland’s son, a student of Loletha, had his first child, Loletha sent gifts to welcome the new baby. Her students thought so highly of her they nominated her for “Who’s Who Among American Teachers,” and she was included in the 2000 edition.
After her retirement, Loletha and Arthur moved to Dover, Delaware. She frequently urged friends to visit and soon developed an active social life, editing the community newsletter and joining the Crossroads Baptist Church. “She had a community wherever she went,” said Perry. Loletha’s famed generosity did not ebb in retirement. When anyone visited Loletha, they’d “come with one bag and leave with four,” Perry said.
The years Loletha taught at PS 150 were special, said Ragland. Her example inspired her colleagues to push themselves, too. “I try to go beyond the call of duty, to go that extra mile, just like Ms. Washington did,” said Ragland.
PS 150 felt like a family, she said, “and Mama Wash was the head of the family.”
Loletha is survived by her husband, Arthur; three children, Khalia, Samara and Wesley; two grandchildren, Thomas and Liam; her sisters-in-law; nieces; nephews; cousins; and countless co-workers, students and friends.
Condolences can be sent to:
The Washington family
22 Platinum Drive
Dover, Delaware, 19901
