Uncrowned Community Builders

Lessie Arnold was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, in 1907. She was the fourth eldest of nine children born to Bernard and Catherine Miller Arnold. While still a child, Lessie moved to Buffalo, New York, with her family. Later the family moved to Cheektowaga, New York, where they lived in an area that is now part of the New York State Thruway. She attended Buffalo Public Schools, but left after completing the eleventh grade to take a job doing domestic work.

She met and married Horace Roland, one of the first black taxi drivers in Buffalo. Together, they had three daughters. The couple and their daughters moved to Bennett Street and often traded with neighborhood stores including Goldstein's Delicatessen located at 258 William Street. Lessie was hired as a clerk in the store, the first African American to work in the business.

During World War II, she went to work at the Curtiss Aircraft Plant on Northland Avenue. Later she operated the food kitchen in Kern's Grill at William and Pratt Street. She was noted for her cooking. During this time, the Goldsteins sold their business to an African American and opened another store in the Cold Spring area.

In the days when numbers gambling was illegal, but people played anyway, Lessie took a chance on the numbers. She won $2500 as a result. Lessie's winning number, 244, was her daughter's hospital room. Later her daughter succumbed to her illness.

The business at 258 William Street had not prospered under its new owners, who put it up for sale. Lessie purchased the business and later she purchased the building that housed it. Lessie's Delicatessen was launched as a family owned and managed business. It was known for its fresh, hard to find meat and vegetables. Lessie, her husband and children ran the business for forty-five years.

The business was closed following Horace's death in the late 1970s. Lessie moved to a senior citizen complex. She was still in business, however, as she sold Watkins products out of her apartment. She was still active at age eighty-nine, driving her own car until it was stolen. She did some cooking at the YMCA and planned bus trips to the home of a spiritualist at Lily Dale.

Lessie Arnold Roland was one of the oldest living members of the Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church celebrating a 75 year membership. She died in 1999 at the age of 92.