Mrs. Minnie Pearl Napper

Mrs. Minnie Pearl Glover Napper of Temple Terrace, FL, passed away on Saturday, March 7, 2026.  Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Ray Williams Memorial Chapel at 11:00 a.m. with Clarey Walker, III, Officiating.  Interment will follow in Rest Haven Memorial Park Cemetery, 4615 E. Hanna Avenue, Tampa, FL 33610.

Mrs. Minnie P. Glover Napper was a native of Fitzgerald, GA and a resident of Tampa for 83 years.  She attended the Hillsborough County Public Schools.  She attended cosmetology school in Tampa and was a well-known hair stylist. She was employed as an Executive Housekeeper for Karen and Lee Moffitt for over 30 years and she also worked for Dr. Wright for many years.

Mrs. Napper arrived in Tampa, FL, at six years old by train and bus from Charleston, SC.  Tampa, Florida, became her home for over 83 years.

She enjoyed spending time with her family and close friends, playing cards, listening to music and cooking.  People from all over Tampa marveled at her sweet potato pies and flavorful collard greens.  She had a passion for flowers and keeping a clean house.

She enjoyed hearing stories about her granddaughters in Alaska and would often call them and say, “What are my babies doing today?”

Mrs. Napper was a strong believer in Christ.  She accepted Christ at an early age.  At the age of eight, she was the Sunday School Treasurer.  She loved reading the Bible and always had questions.

She was a great storyteller.  Many of her nieces and nephews would pull up a chair and sit at her feet, eager to hear her tell them stories about the 1940’s and 1950’s and her experiences traveling to Tampa alone as a young child. 

She was preceded in death by:  her parents, Joseph Glover and Easter Thomas Henderson; 7 children, Louis, Charles, Larry (Michael), Anthony J. Glover, Ricky R. Glover, Ronald S. Glover and Shery Napper Williams; 2 grandchildren, Antonette Frances Glover Shepherd, and Olivia Freedmon; 2 sisters, Alonia Whaley and Patricia A. Man. 

She leaves to cherish her memory:  three daughters, Gail Y. Napper, Carolyn D. Napper (Alaska) and Mary Mattox; special niece, Dessie Williams Brown (like a daughter); and special nephew, Clarey Walker, III;13 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; 12 great-great-grandchildren; 149 nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews; 93 cousins; and a host of family and friends.

Mrs. Napper will be missed by all who knew her and had the honor of sitting at her feet to learn about life and the power of forgiveness. 

Visitation will be held on Friday, March 13, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Ray Williams Funeral Home, 301 N. Howard Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606.

Arrangements entrusted to Ray Williams Funeral Home, Rhodes & Northern, Owners.

www.raywilliamsfuneralhome.com

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