By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
The Broward County community has lost one of its most treasured educators, historians, mentors, and servants with the passing of Maude Lewis Storr, who departed this life on July 2, 2026, just days shy of her 101st birthday. Born on July 16, 1925, Mrs. Storr spent more than a century demonstrating that a life dedicated to lifting others is a life well lived.
For generations of Broward residents, Maude Storr was far more than an educator. She was a pioneer whose fingerprints remain on the educational foundation of Broward County Public Schools, a guardian of Black history, a woman of unwavering faith, and a living example of grace, humility, and excellence.
Only one year ago, as she celebrated her 100th birthday, the City of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County honored her extraordinary legacy of service, recognizing nearly eight decades of contributions that transformed lives throughout South Florida.
Mrs. Storr’s remarkable career with Broward County Public Schools spanned 46 years. Beginning as a classroom teacher in Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale, she devoted herself to ensuring every child, particularly those often overlooked, had an opportunity to succeed. Her philosophy was simple but profound: teach the whole child.
She made home visits, built relationships with families, and developed innovative reading strategies long before community engagement became an educational buzzword.
Her work soon extended beyond the classroom. In 1965, she helped research and develop Broward County’s innovative reading initiatives and played a key role in writing the district’s original federal Title I grant application. That groundbreaking program earned recognition from the U.S. Department of Education as a national model. She later served as Chief Reading Curriculum Specialist, Education Specialist and Director II of Special Programs.
Yet education was only one chapter of Mrs. Storr’s remarkable story.
A devoted member of First Baptist Church Piney Grove, she chaired the church’s multimillion-dollar building campaign, served as Sunday School superintendent and faithfully lived her Christian commitment through service rather than recognition.
She was equally committed to preserving the rich history of Broward’s Black pioneers. Through her children’s book series, “Ordinary People Who Did Extraordinary Things,” she introduced new generations to local Black trailblazers whose stories might otherwise have been forgotten. As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Les Bonnes Amies Club and the Friends of the African American Research Library and Cultural Center, she championed education, literacy and cultural preservation throughout the community.
Those who knew Mrs. Storr often remarked that despite her countless accomplishments, she never sought the spotlight. She carried herself with quiet dignity, choosing influence over attention and service over applause.
Perhaps that humility is why so many considered her a treasure.
Her legacy will also continue through future generations. In lieu of flowers, her family has requested donations to the Federal Programs Department Maude Storr Scholarship through the Broward Education Foundation, ensuring that her lifelong commitment to educational opportunity lives on.
Mrs. Storr is survived by a grateful community that benefited from her wisdom, compassion and unwavering commitment to excellence. Her life’s work reminds us that true greatness is measured not by titles earned, but by lives changed.
Wake services will be held Friday, July 17, 2026, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the celebration of her life taking place Saturday, July 18, 2026, at 11 a.m. Both services will be held at the Roy Mizell & Kurtz Worship Center, 1228 N.W. Sixth Court, Fort Lauderdale.
As Broward County bids farewell to one of its greatest daughters, we celebrate a woman who answered Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s timeless challenge to “Make Your Mother Proud.” By every measure, Maude Lewis Storr did exactly that and in doing so, she made an entire community proud as well.
