Della Myers, longtime ‘foster grandmother’ in Kansas City, Kansas, dies at 80

Nearly every school day, Della Myers would rise early to catch the public city bus over to W.A. White Elementary where the children knew her as Grandmother Della.

For more than 13 years, Myers worked as a volunteer “foster grandmother” with at-risk and special needs children in the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools system. It was a job she treasured and what she was most proud of during the time she was able to serve, said John Myers, her only son and the elder of her two children.

“She loved the kids,” John Myers said. “She felt that any kid could be saved. Any kid that needed help, any kid that needed anything, my mother would give her last dime to make sure (they were cared for).”

Myers, remembered as the binding force of her family who constantly offered whatever she could to others in her Kansas City, Kansas, community, died March 11. She was 80.

Born Della Northern in 1940 in Kansas City, Kansas, Myers was the youngest of nine children — and frequently reminded those around her that she was the spoiled baby girl of the family. She grew up in the city’s Argentine neighborhood, attending public schools there and graduating from Argentine High School in the late 1950s.

At the age of 18, she married John D. Myers, her high school sweetheart and the man who would become the father of her two children. They divorced when the children were still young, though they remained friendly over the years after the elder John Myers moved away to Colorado and then to California.

Della Myers worked as a clerk for the Mobil Oil Company for 20 years. She made many friends there, as she did everywhere she went, her son said. She eventually retired in 1992. She also worked with other area employers including Signature Group and Citibank.

In retirement, Myers continued to be highly active, committed to helping her community thrive, her family remembered. Among her favorite activities were singing in the church choir and participating in the women’s ministries of Eighth Street Baptist Church, where she was a member for more than 60 years, her son said.

Every Sunday, Myers would attend the 6 a.m. service before making her way around town to visit other area churches during the afternoon. She’d go back for Eighth Street’s evening service, too. Among her church family, she was remembered for her style and her deep devotion to her faith.

“That was her sanctuary,” John Myers said.

Myers was also remembered by family as “the glue” that kept them together, never forgetting to send happy birthday wishes to her kids and grandkids. She was a people-person who loved to play host, often inviting family and friends over for get-togethers, picnics or a game of cards. Her favorite was bid whist.

“Back in the day, she was the highlight of the party,” John Myers said, with a laugh.

Myers’ love for spending time with and helping area children earned her recognition among the other foster grandparents she worked with, her son said, where she was “loved by everybody.”

The Foster Grandparents program in Wyandotte County covers 32 schools ranging from early childhood education through high school. Volunteers help students with one-on-one tutoring, reading, language development and math, said Carol Cowdrey, the director of media and marketing for the Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, which runs the program.

Jo Ann Daniels, 69, who has worked as a foster grandmother for nearly 12 years, was an acquaintance of Myers. Daniels said volunteers — there are usually about 90 working across the school district — remain a tight-knit group through monthly meetings in addition to their volunteer service.

Daniels said the opportunity is both rewarding and challenging, saying the seniors who offer their time all share a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of the children they work with.

“We have children that are from single-parent homes, we have children that have special needs, it’s a little bit of everything,” Daniels said. “You have to attend to that child, to what their needs are.”

All of the program’s volunteers are 55 years and older. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many — including Myers — were temporarily sidelined. Around the same time, Myers underwent two major surgeries last year related to earlier health issues and wound up in need of 24-hour hospital care.

While the relationships Myers forged with her foster grandchildren sometimes began in the classroom, they often extended beyond the walls of W.A. White Elementary. John Myers said she would occasionally see them around the city or sometimes in church.

When she died last month, Myers appeared to be recovering and was very much looking forward to returning to the school again once it was safe for her to do so, her son said.

“She was so strong, she pulled through. We just thought she was just going to come through,” John Myers said.

“She just got tired.”

Myers is survived by her children, John Myers and Rebecca Myers; two brothers, Ozell Northern and Randolph Northern; eight grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great-grandchildren.

Other remembrances

Delores Tyson-Strickland

Delores Tyson-Strickland, remembered as a soft-spoken woman always willing to lend her ear, died April 5. She was 84.

Born in 1936 in Kansas City, Tyson-Strickland spent much of her childhood living in the southern tip of Missouri’s Bootheel and in northern Mississippi. She graduated from Ripley High School in Ripley, Mississippi in 1954 and moved back to her native Kansas City afterward.

She first married Lewis Charles Tyson, the father of her four children and three of her step-children. She later married Eddie J. Strickland, becoming a step-mother to five more. Both husbands preceded her in death.

In her professional life, Tyson-Strickland worked as a saleswoman in Kansas City department stores including Macy’s and Dillard’s, retiring in 1999 after more than 25 years in the profession. She was also a longtime member of Fellowship Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and participated in bible study groups.

In her free time, family recalled Tyson-Strickland’s love for helping others however she could. She recently became a big fan of the Kansas City Chiefs. And she was remembered for her cooking, especially her signature 7-Up pound cakes.

Tyson-Strickland is survived by two sisters, Stella Brooks and Mary Graham; two daughters, Tina Tyson and Leila Tyson; four stepdaughters, Darlene McGruder, Marsha Austin, Melicent McCain and Patricia Tyson; three steps-sons, Charles Lewis Tyson, Eddie J Strickland Jr., and Andray Strickland; two grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Darryl Hobson

Darryl Hobson, remembered in part for his younger years as an athlete who excelled in many different sports, died April 1. He was 59.

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Hobson attended public schools and graduated from Harmon High School in 1979. He went on to attend Iowa State University through a football scholarship, competing against major college teams during his four years there.

Family recalled his first touchdown pass during his college career in Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California, where many of his closest relatives saw him accomplish the personal milestone. They said those memories always remained dear to Hobson’s heart.

In his professional career, Hobson worked several years with the Board of Utilities following college to support his family. He later enlisted in the U.S. Army, family recalled, where he earned the culinary skills that he would employ as a professional chef in several area restaurants.

Hobson is survived by his mother, Georgia Taylor; son, Jordan Hobson; brothers, Mark Hobson Sr., Michael Hobson Sr. and Archie Hobson Jr.; and sisters, Marla Riser and Fredarecca Hobson.