Obituary of Heloise Poitier Gies

Heloise Gies , 68 Ashburn, VA- Heloise Poitier Gies, 68, perished Friday, December 3, 2010, following complications of scheduled surgery. She was the wife of Charles R. Gies. Mrs. Gies was born in Washington, DC, May 22, 1942, to the late Osborne Treadwell Poitier and Thelma Loretta Jackson Poitier, second in birth order to her identical twin sister, Hazetta. Three more children were later born to the family: Valencia, Brack, and Craig (Sterling). Heloise attended Neval Thomas & Thomas Morgan Elementary Schools in Washington, DC. Later she attended Benjamin Banneker Jr. High School and Mac Farland Jr. High School, also in Washington, DC. The family moved to New Haven, Connecticut in 1956. After that she attended James Hillhouse High School in New Haven, CT, from which she graduated in 1959. After graduation from high school, she attended the Yale New Haven School of Radiography and graduated with a registered X-Ray license. Over the years Heloise worked at a few doctors' offices, including New Haven Orthopedic Surgeons and Yale University Health Plan. In 1963 Heloise married Edward Lewis, and they began a family in Reston, VA. Together, they had four children: Todd, Kimberly, Derek, and Barry. In 1978 they divorced. Subsequently, in 1981 she returned to New Haven, CT with her children. In 1997 she left her work as an X-ray technician to marry her beloved husband, Charles Robert Gies, a fellow witness of Jehovah with whom she shared many joyous theocratic pastimes and endeavors. Heloise is well known for her dynamic personality and a huge heart that she freely shared with so many. She loved intensely, gave tirelessly to, and unreservedly embraced family and friends. She never knew a stranger. She soothed many hearts with tender words of encouragement and strengthened others' resolve to press on undaunted. Many cherished the nicknames Heloise coined for them and learned life lessons from confident and candid expressions of her opinions and insights. She loved art, music, singing, and dancing. She created beauty in everything to which she set her hands. Her first love, however, was for her God, Jehovah, and her ministry as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Heloise loved the Bible and began taking an interest in it at age 12. As she developed a deeper and stronger appreciation for the Bible's message, she began to hold onto its promises for a better life not only for herself but for all those she knew and loved as well as the world of mankind in general. Heloise formally dedicated her life as one of Jehovah's Witnesses on April 20, 1968 at the age of 26. Her water baptism opened a new pattern of life in service of Jehovah God, to which she always remained loyal. Heloise's devotion to Jehovah came first in her life. Her main desire was to use her whole life to serve Jehovah God and Jesus Christ in a meaningful way and to share her Kingdom hope with as many as possible. Over the last 42 years she has been privileged to study the Bible with several individuals other than her own children and enjoyed the occasion of seeing at least six people dedicate their lives by water baptism. Heloise would have liked to share her hope for the future with those of you who may be unacquainted with the reasons for her strong faith in the Bible. This cherished hope was a true comfort to her; and perhaps you, too, will find comfort in it. Heloise Gies was predeceased by her parents and a brother, Sterling (Craig) Poitier of California. In addition to her beloved husband Charles Gies, she is survived by her identical twin sister, Hazetta Jackson of North Haven, Connecticut; sister Valencia Williams of Adelphi, Maryland; and brother Brack Poitier of Hamden, Connecticut. In addition to her siblings, she leaves a son, Todd Lewis and his wife Sharon of Laurel, Maryland; a daughter, Kimberly Agostini and her husband Desmond of High Point, North Carolina; a son Derek Lewis and his wife Blanca of Hamden, Connecticut; a son Barry Lewis of New Haven, Connecticut; a stepdaughter, Dorothea Gies Diaz of Honolulu, Hawaii; twelve grandchildren (Janice Lewis, Kevin Lewis, Donnoven Agostini, Keturah Roberts, Barry Lewis, Jr., Najee Lewis, Makena Diaz, Ronan Diaz, Paige Lewis, Paris Lewis, Naomi Lewis, and Nathaniel Lewis); and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and cherished friends. The Adams Green Funeral Home, 721 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia ( www.adamsgreen.com ) is coordinating the arrangements. Visitation will be from 7:30 PM until 9:00 PM Friday evening, December 10, at the funeral home. Services will be held at 12:30pm on Saturday, December 11 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 48055 Sugarland Run Drive, Sterling, VA 20164. Entombment will follow at Chestnut Grove Cemetery, Herndon, VA. An additional Memorial Service will be held on Friday, December 17, 2010 at 7:30 PM at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 409 North High Street, East Haven, CT. Family and friends needing hotel accomodations may call the HYATT PLACE at 571.643.0905 and request the ADAMS GREEN FUNERAL HOME BEREAVEMENT RATE.