Family Profile

Elexis Gillette was born in Kinston, NC at Lenoir Memorial hospital on October 19, 1984 to Verdina Gillette and Irvin Marshall. Verdina graduated from North Lenoir high school in 1979. While attending high school, Verdina played on the basketball and softball teams. She made the all-conference team in softball her senior year. Verdina pursued an associate’s degree in secretarial science. Due to deteriorating vision, she received a certificate in business from Mount Olive College in 1981. From 1981 to 1984, Verdina worked as a substitute teacher first for Lenoir County public schools and then in South Carolina for Sumter County public schools.

Verdina and Elexis then moved to Wake County in 1985 because she had acquired a new job in Raleigh. Verdina worked as a certified nursing assistant II (CNA) at Hill Haven nursing home from 1985–92. On May 30, 1990, she was hired as an administrative assistant at Wake County Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities (MR/DD) which is now Wake County Human Services. From 1990–92, Verdina worked part time for Hill Haven nursing home. She then retired from Wake County Human Services as an Executive Assistant on October 1, 2008 due to her continued battle with glaucoma.

Irvin Marshall worked as a driver for the City of Sumter sanitation department. Elexis also has a sister, Maltease Yvonne Marshall. She was born on December 24, 1990. Unlike Elexis, she likes to read novels, and she aspires to own her own hair salon in the near future.

Elexis has a step-father, Evangelist Rickey L. Simms who will have been married to Verdina for four years on May 14, 2009. He works for Allied-Barton Security Company through the Eastern Regional Center which is a satellite center for Wake County Human Services. Guess how he met Elexis’s mom? Rick has his own business on the side fixing/building computers. He’s also big into music. Two of Elexis’s favorite things are computers and music, so the two get along very well.

Elexis’s grandparents are Richard and Mary Gillette. They now reside in LaGrange, NC. Elexis’s other grandparents are Robert Lee and Marjorie Richardson and they now reside in Maysville, SC. Elexis’s great grandparents are Julius and Vertie Lee Parks. They now reside in Bronx, NY.