Eunice M. Roundtree, 84, former housing manager, church worker and committeewoman

Eunice Mae Roundtree, 84, of West Philadelphia, a retired senior housing manager, Democratic committeewoman, and an active church worker, died Wednesday, Sept. 26, of congestive heart failure at Kearsley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Mrs. Roundtree worked as an elevator operator for the Philadelphia Board of Education. She then became the assistant coordinator for the home-delivered meals program run by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.

Her final job before retiring in the 1990s was as a site manager for senior housing run by the Philadelphia Housing Authority at 2500 Jackson St. She was known as "one of the best site managers around," her family said. "She spoiled her people. She threw functions where she could bring in food for them."

Born in Eatonton, Ga., she was the daughter of William Richard and Julia Bell Reid. When she was 7, she came to Philadelphia with her family and attended the city's public schools. She earned a GED later and took courses in social work at Temple University.

An important element of Mrs. Roundtree's life was her faith. At 19, she joined the Pinn Memorial Baptist Church in Wynnefield. A talented singer, she was president of the church's gospel chorus for 10 years, and volunteered for the church's outreach efforts in the city and abroad.

Mrs. Roundtree was the social and political center of her neighborhood. She served as committeewoman in the Sixth Ward, 13^th Division, from 1986 to 2008. In that role, she solved many neighborhood problems.

But her caretaking went beyond constituent services, her family said. She looked out for her frail elderly neighbors. When they couldn't get out to doctor appointments, she arranged for a doctor to come to them.

"Her door was always open, and her resources [for helping others] were limitless," her family said.

Mrs. Roundtree was also known as a wonderful soul-food cook. Her signature dishes were sweet potato pudding and pie. The recipes were secret. She made fabulous macaroni and cheese, mixing yellow and sharp cheeses to get the mild and sharp flavors of both.

Every New Year's Day, she liked to host a party at her home. Guests had to be 60 or older. They would eat, laugh, and dance, her family said.

"If you wanted to dance, she was always ready, but you had to know how to bop," the family said.

In retirement, Mrs. Roundtree joined the West Philadelphia Senior Community Center, where she enjoyed special events and playing pinochle with friends. When her health began to fail in 2011, she went to Kearsley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for rehab. In 2013, she became a resident there.

She married Harold Roundtree. He died in 1993. The couple raised 12 children. One son, Ronald Epps, died earlier.

She is survived by children James Johnson, Jerome Johnson, Beverly West, Julia Diggs, Harold Johnson, Carol Johnson, Michael Johnson, Michelle Johnson, Jonathan Epps, Bernice Epps, and Frances Roundtree; 19 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; 10 great-great-grandchildren; and a large extended family.

A viewing starting at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at Pinn Memorial Baptist Church, 2251 N. 54th St., Philadelphia, will be followed by a funeral at 10 a.m.  Burial is private.