‘She was loved.’ N.J. woman allegedly killed by boyfriend will live on through college endowment. – NJ.com

Florida A&M, a historical black university in Tallahassee, was special to Angela Bledsoe, who was one of its die-hard alumni.

Whenever she returned to FAMU, especially during homecoming, Bledsoe often visited professors, held fundraisers for students and attended board meetings as a member of its national alumni association. It’s where she joined Delta Sigma Theta, her beloved black sorority in which she was an active member during and after college.

This place prepared her for the business world as an independent financial consultant, who was recently honored with the school’s distinguished alumni award for giving of her time and talents to the institution.

It’s where her name will forever be remembered with an endowment that Bledsoe’s family is establishing to raise $100,000 for students who want to attend the university.

Bledsoe, 44, was shot and killed last year, allegedly by her boyfriend, James Ray III, whom she was living with in Montclair with their 6-year-old daughter. Ray, a lawyer who is being held in Essex County Correctional facility, fled to Cuba but was detained and arrested as soon as he arrived in the country on Oct. 28. He’s been charged with her murder.

(Ray admitted to the shooting in court last year, but has argued it was self-defense).

The family – her sister, parents and brother in law – traveled to New Jersey Monday from Florida and Maryland for a status conference on the case. But they used the moment in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office to keep Bledsoe’s legacy alive, describing her as a loving mother and an intelligent woman with a beautiful spirit.

“It’s very important for the judge to know that she was loved,” said Lisa LaBoo, her sister from Florida.

She was selfless and giving, an intrinsic quality for which she is most remembered.

“It’s very important for us to be able to fund this (endowment) because it’s a part of who she was,” LaBoo said.

Family members are looking to have the endowment set up by September. It’s currently collecting donations here.

While that’s being taken care of, the family said they will be at trial when it starts. Until then, they’re coping as best as they can with Bledsoe’s death.

They’re a close family. LaBoo and her sister became financial consultants and joined the same sorority. LaBoo’s children are FAMU graduates, too.

The sisters’ father, Ray Bledsoe, said he is happiest when everybody is around, laughing, talking, making fun of each other when they come home to District Heights, Maryland.

“I have a moment just about every other day,” said Ray Bledsoe, her father, wiping away tears.

“I look around, I realize somebody is missing.”

Her voice is not there. Nor are the memories of seeing her jump across the bed, talking to her sisters, caring for her mother.

FAMU is missing somebody, too. The institution was just as much her family as her own. She was a Rattler – the school’s mascot name – to the core.

She recruited students to attend FAMU and was constantly donating money. When it was time for Bledsoe to leave after graduation, her mother, Gaymelle Bledsoe, said she hadn’t packed anything in her apartment.

“She loved that school so much,” her mother said.

And, FAMU loved her back. LaBoo said the professors were nurturing, and when Bledsoe graduated, her sister had several job offers. Her latest position was with Securities America as an independent financial consultant.

“I wake up and it’s not real,” LaBoo said, speaking about how difficult it is now that her sister is not here.

In the meantime, the family is focused on raising Bledsoe’s daughter, who is an active little girl. LaBoo said her sister, who squeezed in time for cross fit training, believed in education, and it shows in her daughter, who speaks Mandarin and Spanish.

Her grandfather, though, worries about when she grows up and reads the stories about her mother’s death.

“I pray nobody ever has to go through this,” he said. “You question yourself. What could I have done?”

Future Rattlers will know that this family has done a lot.

When students walk into the School of Business and Industry, they will see a plaque with Bledsoe’s name.

When they stroll across the center of campus, her name will be there again on another plaque at the eternal flame. It’s a monument with a flame that burns 24 hours, representing excellence in FAMU students.

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Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip?Tell us. nj.com/tips.