\n
![\"Karla](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_0450.jpg\")
Karla Joseph and husband, Carmelo Joseph, in front pew, right, with mourners.Nelson A. King\n<\/p>\nChurch and family members and friends paid their final respects to Trinidadian Marva Sobers, affectionately called \u201cMarvelous Marva,\u201d at a funeral service at Fenimore Street United Methodist (FSUMC) in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 2.<\/p>\n
Sobers was a former active and devoted FSUMC member before moving to Dallas, Texas in summer of 2011 to join her only child, Karla Joseph. She was 88.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
Mourners jammed the pews at the 136-year-old FSUMC, at the corner of Fenimore Street and Rogers Avenue, where they paid tribute to Sobers in song, Scripture, speech, steel pan music, and drums. Sobers had faithfully served in several capacities at FSUMC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had served as president of the Gospel Choir, and was a member of, among others, the Wedding, Altar Guild\/Communion Steward, and Family Life committees.\n<\/p>\n
Sobers had also lent her voice to the renowned chorus group, God\u2019s Rainbow.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
After relocating to Texas, family members said Sobers continued her commitment to service as a contributing member of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church. \u00a0<\/p>\n
In her eulogy, Karla said when her mom entered a room, she made \u201can impression.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left her mark wherever she went, and usually she made sure you remembered it,\u201d she said, stating that her mom was also \u201coutspoken and unfiltered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe would absolutely tell you what she thought, whether you asked or not \u2014 especially if you didn\u2019t ask,\u201d Karla added.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
She said Sobers had a gift for conversation.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cShe could talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time,\u201d Karla said. \u201cOn the phone, in a line, at the store \u2014 you were leaving that interaction knowing more than you expected, whether you planned to or not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said her mom\u2019s years in working at the telecommunications giant AT&T brought her \u201ca sense of pride.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0Karla said Sobers also loved God, gospel music, and giving praise.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cShe equally loved to dance and would throw down a whine anywhere, which is the thing I think we will all remember the most,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have run through countless stories of her breaking out in dance and complaining about how everything is hurting after. But those short legs could move.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition, Karla said her mother also loved to dress.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cShe took pride in how she presented herself,\u201d she said. \u201cMy mother believed in looking good \u2014 no exceptions.\u00a0
\nKarla Joseph and husband, Carmelo Joseph, in front pew, right, with mourners.Nelson A. King\n<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother was strong, vibrant, complicated, and unforgettable,\u201d she continued. \u201cShe loved deeply, lived boldly, and gave us stories we will carry for the rest of our lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marlene Ferguson, Sobers\u2019s last sister, who chairs FSUMC\u2019s Family Life Committee, said Sobers was preceded in death by her brother, Glenford Sobers, who died on April 7, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese two siblings shared their life on earth united in unconditional love for each other,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cTherefore, God saw it fit to keep them united for their journey into the heavenly Kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarva lived through and was affected by so many historical milestones,\u201d she added, stating that some included World War II (1945); the Independence of Trinidad and Tobago (1962); the end of the Civil Rights era (late 1960s); 9\/11 (2001); the election of the first African American President of the US, Barack Obama, (2008), \u201cand the many advancements in technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer years working as an operator at AT&T gave her a front seat to communication advancements, and Marva definitely enjoyed using her Alexa smart home device,\u201d Ferguson continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While Sobers learned \u201clifelong skills\u201d such as baking, sewing, cooking traditional meals (pelau, macaroni pie, potato salad and fish-cake), Ferguson said her specialty was hair styling.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, for all family occasions, she did the hair and styled to perfection,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cShe was the beautician for all the little girls in the village, who would gather at the house for braids in preparation for school.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, she said Sobers was a \u201cskilled\u201d stenographer, and that \u201cmusic was in her DNA.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cMarva will sing and dance to calypso and gospel music,\u201d said Ferguson, disclosing that her sister was also \u201can avid follower\u201d of Joey Lewis, Sel Duncan, and Gemini Brass bands, \u201cwho had the traditional dance parties, and the attire was coordinated with specific colors for attendance \u2014 pink rose, white rose or red rose.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said Sobers\u2019 \u201cdress sense was second to none.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing her mother\u2019s footsteps (Eliza Sobers), Marva always dressed with superb class,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cOrder was her motto, punctuality and decisiveness were standards Marva maintained throughout her life. Marva was unique, distinct and unapologetic.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Marlene](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_0444.jpg\")
Marlene Ferguson, Marva Sobers\u2019s sister, eulogizes her, flanked by Carmelo Joseph, Marva\u2019s son-in-law, and daughter, Karla, left.Nelson A. King<\/p>\n
According to the obituary, Sobers was born on Nov. 10, 1937, in Carapichaima, Trinidad, to Eliza and James Sobers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the eldest of eight children, she forged a path all her own, becoming a true trailblazer, as she journeyed beyond her roots to build a life in London and later the United States,\u201d it says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMarva was a vibrant and unforgettable presence \u2014 opinionated, passionate, and headstrong, yet deeply giving and nurturing with a firm but loving heart,\u201d it adds. \u201cShe never met a stranger and loved without limits, always ready to extend a helping hand to family and friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHer greatest joy was found in her role as a devoted mother to her daughter, and a proud and adoring grandmother,\u201d it continues. \u201cShe found joy in knitting and crocheting, watching game shows, listening to gospel music, dancing, cheering enthusiastically at sporting events, and going on outings with her senior friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe treasured reminiscing about cherished memories and had a remarkable gift for storytelling that captivated everyone who listened,\u201d it says.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
Besides Karla and Marlene, Sobers is survived by her grandchildren, Kalir, Khayla and Kaaliyah; her great-grandchild, Ezekiel; and her brother, Medford Sobers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marva Sober\u2019s body was interred immediately after the funeral service at Canarsie Cemetery in Brooklyn.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Church and family members and friends paid their final respects to Trinidadian Marva Sobers, affectionately called \u201cMarvelous Marva,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":227795,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-227794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}