Mrs. Wilma Naomi King Cephus, 89, of Greensboro, died Thursday, March 12, 2026. Funeral services were held Saturday, March 21, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greensboro, with Bishop Julius H. McAllister, Jr. presiding and Presiding Elder David W. Green, Sr. delivering the eulogy. Interment followed at Sarah Christian Cemetery, with Agnew Funeral Home directing.
Born June 4, 1936, in Bessemer, Mrs. Cephus was the youngest of 16 children born to the late Rev. Robert and Emma Thompson King. A lifelong educator, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Miles College and a master’s degree from the University of Alabama.
Mrs. Cephus moved to Greensboro in 1958 and dedicated 33 years to the Hale County School System as a business education teacher at Greensboro Public School – East Campus. There, she also served as registrar and was the voice of commencement exercises as the official announcer for over 25 years before retiring in 1993. In 2003, she began a second career as the office manager at Agnew Funeral Home, continuing her life of service to local families.
A pillar of her community, Mrs. Cephus was a devoted member of St. Matthew A.M.E. Church, where she served as a steward, Sunday School teacher, and founding member of the Ambassadors greeters. Her extensive civic involvement included leadership roles in the Greensboro Elks Temple 1309, the Kiwanis Club, the Hale County Board of Registrars, and the Deep South Network for Cancer Control.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Alonzo Tyler Cephus, Sr., and 15 of her siblings. She is survived by her two daughters, Yolanda Cephus and Kimberly Cephus Green (David Sr.); one sister, Thelma King McCaslin; two grandsons, Thermyn King-Jones and Rev. David William Green, Jr.; a step-daughter, Camille Cephus Woolfolk; and a step-son, Alonzo Cephus, Jr.
