By Catherine Pugh
Special to the AFRO
Yvonne Frances Lansey, daughter of E. Gaines Lansey and Martha Priscilla Phillips Lansey (both deceased) died on March 27. The 79-year-old succumbed to a heart condition at the University of Maryland Hospital.
Lansey was known as a leader within the business community. Following in her father’s footsteps, she became president and CEO of Ideal Federal Savings and Loan. Founded in 1920 by her great grandfather, Teackle Wallis Lansey, the business touted itself as Maryland’s oldest Black-owned bank.
Situated at 1629 Druid Hill Avenue, the bank provided services to African Americans during a time when other institutions declined to do so, remaining in operation for 90 years before closing in April 2010. Though the bank closed, the legacy of Teakle Lansey lives on in the community. Teackle Lansey appears in a mural depicting six great Baltimoreans, including Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and AFRO founder John Henry Murphy Sr.
Lansey served as deputy trust clerk for the Circuit Court of Baltimore City from March 2012 until her death.
Laura Byrd, Lansey’s first cousin, warmly remembers her as an exceptionally kind person.
“Yvonne would go out of her way to help anyone. She genuinely cared about others,” she said. “She always dressed with style—her sense of fashion was truly elegant.”
Byrd said Lansey “was active in several organizations including her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Smart Set and the Northeasterners.”
Lansey had five siblings. Frank, James and her older sister Priscilla passed away before her. She is survived by her brother Patrick and her niece Stephanie Lansey.
A viewing for Yvonne Frances Lansey will be held at Wylie Funeral Home, 701 Mount Street, Baltimore, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, from 5–8 p.m. The wake is Thursday, April 16 at 9:00 a.m., followed by the funeral at 9:30 a.m. at the same location. The burial will follow at King Memorial Park.
Wylie Funeral Home offers a memory page for family and friends to send flowers or condolences.
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