" The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
-Deuteronomy 31:8 New International Version

On November 12, 1953, Ida Mae and Raymond Foreman welcomed a baby girl, Monica Raye, to their home in Denver, CO. Monica’s parents provided her a strong foundation of her culture along with guiding her spiritually. Monica grew up playing the piano, learning Creole recipes and language from her grandmother Abigail, and reading about historical figures.

 

Monica was baptized at Union Missionary Baptist Church in Denver where the Foreman family were active members. Monica passed the tradition of spirituality to her two daughters who were also baptized at Union Baptist Church of Denver. Allena Hunn was born to Monica Hester from a previous relationship with Earl Hunn and Timalyn Franklin-Bullock was born to Monica Hester from a previous marriage with Timothy Franklin. Besides attending church, Monica’s children have fond memories of attending movies and going to the library with their mother.

 

Monica was the widow of Napoleon Hester. Napoleon and Monica met at Denver Metro campus in the 70s and were married in 1981 until Napoleon’s passing in 2015. Monica and Napoleon owned several hair salons in the Denver community before relocating to Las Vegas and later Sacramento.

 

While in Sacramento, Monica established a community of friends who became family. Monica’s best friend of 30 years, Walidah Rushiddin, will cherish their friendship. Monica’s friend Linell Walker was a supportive and loving companion during Monica’s later years.

 

Monica was preceded in death by her parents, Ida and Raymond Foreman, and her husband, Napoleon Hester. Monica leaves behind her daughters Allena (Tracey) Hunn of Denver, CO and Timalyn (Lonzo) Franklin-Bullock of Wilson, NC; sister Deborah Green of Los Angeles, loving friends Walidah Rushiddin and Linell Walker of Sacramento, CA, and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

 

As a memorial to their mother, Allena and Timalyn will plant trees via American Forests ( Memorial Gift Of Trees - American Forests Giving).

 

In memory of her friend, Walidah will host a memorial on October 2nd. The memorial will include releasing doves and reading a poem written by Walidah Rushiddin.

 

In lieu of flowers and gifts, the family is requesting donations to No Kid Hungry Donate Today (nokidhungry.org).