Vanessa Lavonna Bratton, ordained evangelist

Vanessa Lavonna (Phillips) Bratton, 53, of Frankford, was born May 22, 1962, to Clarence Poster and Shirley J. Collick of Lewes. She departed this life Sunday, May 24, 2015, at Christiana Care Hospital in Newark.

Vanessa graduated from Indian River High School in 1982. She also attended The Bible Church of Christ Theological Institute and graduated with General I, II, and Early Church History. While there, Vanessa was student of the year with perfect attendance. She was ordained as an evangelist at New Life Ministry of Deliverance and was also an assistant pastor in Dagsboro. She was an awesome prayer warrior and a choir member at the Bible Church of Christ for 10 years. When she was a child she loved going to Calvary Pentecostal Church in Bishopville, Md.

In her younger years she worked at Elmer Motel as a housekeeper, then as a teen she learned how to do hair and loved designing women's hair. Later she worked as a nursing assistant at Generations Home Health and entrepreneur of God's Little Angels Daycare. She had her own cleaning business. She loved the work that she did and would always do it unto the Lord.

Her family was the joy of her life; she loved them unconditionally. She loved the achievement that her daughter had done attending college at Del Tech in Georgetown and her granddaughter graduating from high school, getting ready to attend college. Her favorite pastime was working in the kitchen at Power and Love. She also loved to eat out with her family at Old Mill, and her sister outings. She enjoyed cooking and making strawberry cream pie, lasagna and working outdoors in the yard; she had a green thumb. Her worship was for real.

Services will be held at Calvary Pentecostal Church Inc.,13325 Worcester Hwy., Bishopville, at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 30. Family and friends may visit two hours prior.

www.benniesmithfuneralhome.com