Hosea J Givan

Hosea James Givan was born on October 13, 1937, in Bessemer, Alabama, to Henry and Tissian (Barlow) Givan. At age four, his family left the South and moved to Gary, Indiana, where his father worked in the steel mills. The family owned a home on Pierce Street in Gary. As a child, he was a dedicated Boy Scout. When Hosea was nine, he participated in the Comets Youth Sports Program run by two young men, Duke Bolden and Tooky Allen, where he played several sports: football, basketball, baseball, softball, track, and even hockey! Hosea attended Roosevelt High School in Gary and was one of the top students in his class. While at Roosevelt High School, he was the president of his junior class and played both football and basketball. Upon graduating high school in 1955, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. Early in his life, Hosea joined the Church of God in Christ, under the leadership of his brother Pastor Jake Givan, Sr. He married the late Carmen Morris on September 5, 1959, in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to New York City on June 29, 1960. Their union was blessed with four children: Hosea II (Joey), Gerald, Jean Marie (Jeannie), and Michael. At the family home in Hollis, Queens, Hosea built a basketball court in their backyard for his children, and it became one of the main gathering places in the Hollis community. Highly competitive battles took place on that legendary basketball court. In 1968, Hosea and his good friend, Cecil Hollar, both working for IBM at the time, began volunteer coaching at the East Harlem Biddy Basketball League at Benjamin Franklin High School. Each week, he took two of his sons and other children from the neighborhood to participate in the league. After two years of traveling to East Harlem, the East Harlem Biddies Director, Buddy Fletcher, inspired Hosea to start a similar program in Hollis, Queens. In 1970, the Hollis Biddy Basketball League was created at a local high school, Andrew Jackson. The highly successful program, which also included a girls' component, ran for several decades. Hosea received several awards for his outstanding community leadership. Hosea married Shirley (Hudson) Givan on August 6, 2011, in Springfield, MA. Hosea, a God-fearing man, returned to aspects of his spiritual roots. For the past ten years, he and Shirley were members of Grayson United Methodist Church in Grayson, Georgia. Hosea loved singing in the Senior Choir and attended church faithfully, in person, until his health declined. Hosea had many talents, and his professional experiences reflected his diverse skill sets. He worked for several organizations over the course of his lifetime. He started his career at Sperry Gyroscope and spent six years there as a technical writer, writing manuals for airplanes. In 1967, he joined IBM and worked as a systems engineer, a marketing representative, and an instruction manager. Hosea served as the executive director of the Harlem Opportunities Industrial Center (OIC), a two-year assignment with IBM. After eighteen years with IBM, he worked at Mutual of New York (MONY) Insurance as an insurance salesman for six years. Never letting up, at the age of 60, Hosea became a funeral director at Frank R. Bell Funeral Home, in Brooklyn. Eventually Hosea went south, to Atlanta and taught elementary school children at His Academy for six years. He also worked for the Gwinnett County Voting Polls for over twelve years. Hosea was initiated into the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Zeta Lambda chapter (St. Albans, New York) on December 5, 1987. He also served on the board of Trustees at Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem and was a member of 100 Black Men (New York City chapter). Hosea loved spending quality time with family. He enjoyed traveling and often visited New York and Florida. Among his journeys were trips to Barbados, the Bahamas, Los Angeles, Martha’s Vineyard, and Jamaica. In addition to his four aforementioned children, Hosea has six stepsons with Shirley: Larry (deceased), Jeff, Reuben, Reggie, Marcus, and Tony. Two daughters-in-law: Rachel Cheeks-Givan (Hosea) and Londe Selmon-Givan (Gerald). Five grandchildren: Marcus, Alexandra, and Nia (Gerald/Londe), Nicholas (Michael/Indira Mosely), and Rebekah (Joey/Rachel). Hosea adopted his son Abdullah (deceased), and Clyde Miller was his foster son. Hosea has bonus daughters: Cassandra Clark (deceased) - mother to Giovanna and Cassidy, Ruth, and Patsy. Hosea is also cherished and loved by many nieces, great-nieces, nephews, great-nephews, bonus grandchildren great-grandchildren and five close friends: Alfred Hammonds, Maurice Burns, Jim Bell, Cecil Hollar, and Henry Roberts. He is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Tissian (Barlow) Givan, and all seven of his siblings: Jake, Bessie, Hattie, John, Charles, Wilma, and Brenda. Affectionately called Dad, Husband/Hon, Pops, Dad, Grandpa, G-Pa, Uncle, Mister Givan, Mr. G, Coach, and Dear Friend, he will be remembered as a highly intelligent, charismatic, charming, and kindhearted man who was loved by many.

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Hosea J Givan

October 13, 1937 - May 22, 2025