Daisy Lee McQueen, 85, was born in Baton Rouge Louisiana to Charles Ward and Mary Franklin. She departed this life Thursday September 14, 2017 at North Shore University Hospital after a brief illness. Here death was sudden and a surprise to everyone.
Daisy attended Perkins Rowe Elementary, McKinley Junior and McKinley Senior High Schools in Baton Rouge Louisiana. She also attended Southern University in Baton Rouge Louisiana where she was a Majorette. At the age of 21, she moved to New York where worked at LIJ and where she met her husband Lenwood McQueen. She furthered her education at Gold Water Nursing School obtaining her LPN license.
Daisy and Lenwood had 4 children, Lynette Joyce McQueen in 1958, Michael Clyde McQueen in 1960, Faye Yvette McQueen in 1961 and Ronald Charles McQueen in 1965. They resided in Baisley Park, Queens.
Daisy worked as a charge nurse at several nursing homes in the Far Rockaway area in Queens including: Seagirt, Queens Nassau and Brookhaven. During her employment in the nursing homes she became passionate about worker's rights abd fare wages. Her fellow workers voted her “Shop Stewart” for their union Local 144. After a few years and hard work the president of Local 144, Peter Ottley, appointed her Vice President. Daisy took this position very seriously working tirelessly to help workers get their jobs back and to fight for fare wages and safe work environments.
She volunteered for their annual Children's Christmas Party, The annual Circus trips and she marched every year in the Labor Day Parade often dragging her children and the neighbor’s children along wearing Local 144 hats and t-shirts. She often walked the picket line with the people she represented dodging sometimes bullets and bottles. This job has its perks. Trips to Canada. Cruises. Lavish dinners. Swanky parties. Broadway shows and trips to meet mother every Thursday which was pay day, to go to Strawberry’s and Alexander's. Unfortunately, it was a man's world and the men eventually forced her to take an early retirement.
After retiring from the union Daisy moved to Florida and became president of the Democratic Women's Party info Palm Bay. Daisy found Florida to be full of old people. So agree moved to Atlanta. While in Atlanta she volunteered at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in their Family Life Center conducting blood pressure screenings to the people who came to work out. They lived to come get their pressure taken by Ms. Daisy. She took pride in her volunteer work as it made her feel like a young nures again. She once saved someone's life by suggesting that they go straight to the hospital after she found their blood pressure to be too high. He had immediate triple bypass surgery.
In 2011 Daisy moved back to NY where she lived with three of her children until her death. She is survived by her ex-husband Lenwood McQueen; Children Lynette, Michael, Faye and Ronnie. Sisters; Juliaette Amanda Smith of Baston Rouge, Veronica Rose Nelson of Atlanta. Brothers Alan Nelson of New York. Grandchildren; Michelle Claudia McQueen, Michael Clyde McQueen, Jr., Jasmine Rena Smith and Miguel Clyde McQueen III. Great grandchildren; Anaya T'sori Knighton, Shanayah London, and Gabriella Grace McQueen. Neices; Vernida Jean Smith, Latacia Renee Kimble, Maranell Denise Nelson, LaRisa Nelson, Tijuana Nelson, Theresa Nelson, Marishka Nelson. Nephews; Anthony Smith, Kenneth Smith, Tyrone Smith, Elvin Green, Eric Green, Edward James Nelson jr. and Mark Nelson. Twelve great neices and nephews and ten great great neices and nephews and two in the way. She is preceded in death by her parents Charles and Mary. Brothers; Edward James Nelson and Earnest Herman Nelson.

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