Cleo Anita Roper went to her heavenly home on February 19, 2024. Anita Roper believed that her life could be best understood by what she heard from the Holy Spirit, “Anita, I have something more for you to do.” Throughout her long life, Anita remained a strong, God-directed, and encouraging woman. Her love for her God and others will forever be her legacy.
Anita was born in Clarkesville, Georgia, on May 5, 1927, to parents Byard Monroe and Julia Landers Roper. Anita credited her strong, disciplined, and loving childhood for the direction her life was to take.
Anita was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Byard Roper, Jr. (Doris), and sisters Audrey Snyder (Bill) and Carolyn Richardson (Dale). Anita is survived by her nephews, nieces, other family, and numerous friends around the world.
The major calling for Anita’s adult life was to serve as a missionary to girls in Nigeria. Early in her time there, Anita was told that the Nigerians would know whether she loved them by what they saw her do. For more than 37 years, Anita invested her life in the girls at the Regan Memorial School in Lagos on the West African coast. Her Nigerian community never doubted her love for them or for her Lord.
Anita’s teaching load included the study of English, the Bible, and various other life-skill courses. She was probably best known, however, for seeking out every new student, discovering their stories, and quickly becoming a part of their support system. Anita was gifted at remembering the names of all her students and their stories. During her time in Nigeria, Anita impacted the future of hundreds of young ladies, many of whom have stayed in touch with her throughout her life.
Besides a heavy teaching load at the school, Anita also served as the director of the Girls’ Auxiliary (GA) as well as worked closely with the Nigerian Baptist’s Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) for the entire country, and as the editor of Nigeria’s GA magazine, The Messenger. Her work through the GAs allowed her to interact with young ladies through the country.
Following her years in Nigeria, Anita continued to work with GAs, her church, the American Red Cross, and ministering to her family. Anita’s legacy of work will continue long beyond the passing of her life. Her impact to the girls and their families in Nigeria, as well as the GAs in Georgia, was life-changing. Her Nigerian girls are quick to recognize the result of having Anita in their lives. One young woman described it this way: “As long as we live, and our children and our children’s children live, she will be a part of their lives. Their lives will never be the same.”
There will be a Wake-Keeping from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM and Community Visitation from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Friday, March 8, 2024, at Hillside Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, March 9, 2024 at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Mrs. Roper will lie in state prior to the service from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM. Interment will follow the service at Yonah Memorial Gardens.
Memorials can be made through funding to the Reagan Memorial Girls School in Nigeria, ROGA USA, P.O. Box 3172, Suwanee, GA 30024, or the Anita Roper Memorial Scholarship Fund at Truett McConnell University, Attn: Office of Advancement, 100 Alumni Drive, Cleveland, GA 30528.
An online guestbook is available for the family at www.hillsidememorialchapel.com.
Arrangements are in the care and professional direction of Hillside Memorial Chapel & Gardens, Clarkesville, GA. 706-754-6256
