Velda Rendia Gant Powell was the third of nine siblings born to L.C. Gant, Sr. and Rosie Lee Burns Gant in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. As a very young lady, Velda accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and joined the Azion Missionary Baptist Church family where she remained until her transition. Velda graduated from John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in 1984. She was employed with Mississippi Department of Corrections until 2007. Velda was a very "CLASSY" lady who enjoyed the art of cosmetology, dressing to impress and making a fashion statement. When she became ill, she was still concerned about what she was going to wear to her medical appointments. She adored her grandson, Quintavis, and affectionately called him "man-man." She reared him and a niece, Tyra Slaughter, as her own children. Velda spent a lot of good quality fun-fill time with her sisters, family, friends, and classmates. Velda's earthly journey ended on Thursday evening, April 14, 2011, at Bolivar Medical Center located in Cleveland, Mississippi.