Mary Ann Houston-Wells

I love you more. Mother Mary Ann Houston Wells shared that sentiment liberally with so many of those she knew. But it was more than a signature phrase for her. I love you more was an articulation of deep devotion to family, both natural and spiritual. That family, who loved her most, surrounded Mother Wells in prayer as she departed this earthly life on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

Mother Wells was born to the late Florence Gennette Johnson and Luther Houston on February 22, 1944, in Portageville, Missouri. The family later moved north to Michigan in search of a better life. Mother Wells, the oldest of four children, became a caregiver at an early age as she was often left with the responsibility of looking after her younger siblings and their home, which was located in a Benton Harbor housing project.

It was in the projects, when she was fourteen, that she met a boy from another part of town, seventeen-year-old “Sonny” Wells, a young man destined to become the renowned Church of God in Christ Bishop Nathaniel Wyoming Wells Jr. But on that day in the projects, he was just a boy who caught her eye from the basketball court as she, a young beauty, walked down the street. That moment in the late 1950s marked the beginning of a dynamic union that would span more than sixty years and spawn a life-affirming ministry.

Sonny and Mary Ann got married May 5, 1962, and had five children: Chanita Vance (Che-Che), the late Pastor Nathaniel Wells III (Butch), Patricia Wells-Frazier (P.J.), Anissa Gray (Ronnie) and Tiffany Wells-Alexander. They also were parents to Mother Wells’ beloved niece, Mari Banks. Mother Wells, saved by grace since age fourteen, was a devoted mother and wife, creating a home full of affection, care and unconditional love. She saw her family through challenges great and small and became the embodiment of the virtuous woman spoken of in Proverbs 31:28: “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

Though diminutive in height, Mother Wells had an outsized measure of faith. “Crazy faith,” she called it. And that faith would help undergird her and the Bishop as they moved into ministry, building upon the foundation laid by the late Bishop Nathaniel Wells Sr. and Mother Mildred Wells. They became Pastor and First Lady of Holy Trinity Institutional Church of God in Christ in October of 1976 and assumed leadership of Benton Harbor’s Community Church of God in Christ seven years later, after the death of Bishop Wells Sr. The family made its home in Muskegon, where Bishop and Mother Wells were led to create a multifaceted work that served “The Total Man.” They ministered to the mind, body and spirit in myriad ways— building affordable housing developments, beginning in 1991; founding Tri-Valley Academy charter school in 1995; creating a transportation system to ferry workers to and from jobs in nearby cities, which contributed $6 million to Western Michigan cities annually.

In November of 1985, when Bishop Wells was named Jurisdictional Prelate, Bishop and Mother Wells, who was at that time one of the youngest jurisdictional Bishops’ wives, established and built the Western Michigan Jurisdiction, putting in place systems and structures that to this day bear their stamp, including the Western Michigan Women’s choir, which was founded by Mother Wells. In 2000, when Bishop ascended to the General Board, the distinguished governing body of the national church, Mother Wells remained a stalwart partner in ministry, offering quiet counsel, as was her way, and unwavering support. Having by then served as a Bishop’s wife for better than a decade, Mother Wells, with the wisdom and seasoning that comes with time, rose to become a respected mentor and confidante to younger Bishops’ wives.

A woman with a humble spirit and a generous heart, Mother Wells was most happy and at home when she was ministering to women and young people and enriching the life of the church. When not feeding the Saints spiritually, she could often be found in the church kitchen doing so literally, as she was an esteemed cook. Early in her life as a First Lady, she showed herself to be a community builder, instituting annual Home Coming celebrations to maintain church cohesion and make Holy Trinity a touchstone and spiritual home for every member, no matter how far away they roamed. She took young people, often at her own expense, to national church conventions, to expose them to the wider world. Mother Wells established and ran the church’s Clothes Closet, providing quality clothing for those who could not otherwise afford it. She spearheaded scholarship funds to send young people to college. But amid the high-profile public works, she also engaged in quiet acts of service, pulling from her own pocket to help women and children in need.

Even as she gave so much of herself, she did take time to pursue a personal dream. A longtime advocate for education, she completed her Bachelor of Theology degree from Midwest College of Theology in June of 2018. At the age of 74, she was the oldest student in her class.

After Bishop Wells departed this earthly life on March 24, 2020, this phenomenal First Lady, Bishop’s wife and mother in Zion, even in her profound grief, helped draw the church community together as she carried forward her legacy of service and commitment by working almost daily in the church’s community outreach programs and being a reassuring presence in church services. Always with a heart for the people, in her final days, Mother Wells was planning a summer rally and fundraiser to secure the future of her life’s work, Holy Trinity, with the support of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ.

Mother Wells was preceded in death by her husband Bishop Nathaniel Wyoming Wells Jr. and their son Pastor Nathaniel Wells III, as well as her brother William Houston. She is survived by her four daughters, her daughter/niece, 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren, as well as her siblings, Florence Banks and Ronnie Houston. She also leaves behind a church family she cherished.

This godly woman, who led with love, now joins her beloved and dearly missed Sonny, that boy she met and married all those years ago.

Mother Mary Ann Houston Wells will be missed beyond all measure.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Robbins Brothers Funeral Home, Benton Harbor.