Carleese Elizabeth Mack Travis
Carleese Elizabeth Mack Travis passed into eternity on April 30, 2021. She was known as Carleese to her siblings, Aunt Carleese to her nephews and nieces, Lisa to her many friends and co-workers, and Nana to her grandchildren and their friends (many of whom adopted her as their Nana, too!).
She was born to Rev. Abraham and Mary (Simms) Mack in Chatham, Virginia, where she was raised as the youngest of nine children.
She graduated from the Mary Potter Albion Redstone Academy, a boarding school for African American children in Oxford, North Carolina. A talented mezzo-soprano, she performed with the Mary Potter Trio and studied for one year at Howard University.
On October 23, 1951 Carleese married Theodore Roosevelt Travis, Jr. and remained his faithful, loving wife until his passing on May 3, 1969. They gave birth to four children: Theodore R. Travis III, Joie Durham, Dianne Travis, and Robin Travis.
As a stay-at-home mom, she was always baking cinnamon rolls for the neighborhood children playing in her yard. The family was very active in the church. She and her husband sang duets; she trained the family to sing “Just a-Wearying for You” in five-part harmony.
After the passing of her husband, she worked at Kramer Street Elementary School as a school secretary. She also ran a home-based business selling Copper Craft. (If you visited her home, you would see LOTS of beautiful Copper Craft items on display.)
Later she worked at Goldisc, a record producing company, where she served as Quality Control Supervisor. There she was awarded a Gold Record for her outstanding work. She was loved by everyone in the company; for her, walking into work was like Norm walking into Cheers – everyone shouted “Lisa!!!”
In 1980 she and her three youngest children moved to Denver, Colorado, where her oldest son was attending seminary. She worked part-time on an evening cleaning crew in the Anschutz Corporation’s Anaconda Tower, where her impressive work ethic caught the attention of the corporate managers. Soon she was given the role of Security Officer. A highlight was when the Secret Service cleared her to escort then
Vice President George H. W. Bush to the Petroleum Club. She fondly remembered him putting his hand on her shoulder and saying, “Thank you so much, Lisa!”
Nana showered her grandchildren with unconditional love. The family refers to her signature homemade cinnamon rolls as “Nana rolls.” The recipe is now being carried on by her eldest grandson, Weston.
Her youngest son, Robin, who for years drove transport trucks, drove the family from Long Island to Denver, Colorado, and often drove his mother to family reunions on the East Coast. She truly enjoyed those road trips!
Her youngest daughter Dianne worked as a childcare provider, especially to her niece and nephews. She lived with her mother and kept the household running for the two of them. Later she became her mother’s caretaker and served in that capacity until Lisa’s death. Thanks, Dianne, for all you’ve done!
In Lisa’s later years, her oldest daughter Joie would take her to church on Sunday, followed by rides through downtown Denver, blasting her favorite tunes and singing along while driving past all her favorite places.
Her eldest son, Ted, made her proud by following in the ministerial path of her husband and father, as well as her own footsteps as a classically trained singer.
Lisa is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her brothers Anthony and John Mack, and sisters Virginia Johnson, Mariah Hurt, Mary Russell, Estelle Singleteary, and Sallie Allen. Those who remain to cherish her memory are her sister Lillie Massie, her four children, seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.