Lottie Washington passed away June 16, 1961 from a heart attack at the age of 63 years. She had been born June 11, 1898 in St. Charles County, the daughter of George and Alverna “Vernie” (Luckett) Thomas. She was preceded by her first husband Albert O’Day (February 7, 1896-Aug 28, 1940) who was also buried at Sage Chapel Cemetery. She was married at the time she passed, to Harvey Washington (March 25, 1885-February 2, 1963) of Wright City, Missouri. She and Albert had several children: Alberta, Jim (September 23, 1916-February 2, 1919 at Sage Chapel Cemetery). Walter. Ed (July 7. 1920-March 7, 1922 at Sage Chapel Cemetery), Edith (June 1, 1922-April 1, 1923 at Sage Chapel Cemetery), Leona, Bessie, and Christopher. After funeral services at Neiburg Funeral Home in Wright City, she was buried on June 19, 1961 at Sage Chapel Cemetery.
On August 20th, in 1881, Mahala (Keithly) and her husband Jasper Costlio had transferred to the Trustees of an African Methodist Episcopal Church for the use by the Conference, one acre of land, which became known as Sage Chapel Cemetery. This was done so that the former slaves of Samuel Keithly could continue to be buried in this cemetery. That same deed conveyed a one-half acre parcel on Sonderen Street to be used for a church known as Sage’s Chapel. The members of Cravens Methodist, and Wishwell Baptist, also located on Sonderen Street, also used this cemetery to bury their families. None of these churches or their records exist anymore. Sage Chapel Cemetery is a former African American community cemetery that is maintained by the City of O’Fallon, Missouri, located at 8500 Veterans Memorial Parkway. It has 117 documented burials of which only 37 have headstones, of these we know that 17 were born enslaved. (2018) May they rest in peace “As long as a name can be spoken, that person shall not be forgotten.”
Sage Chapel Cemetery 