The sudden passing of L.A. resident Jennifer Howell saddened many in the religious, educational and local community. Howell passed away on September 1 following a brief hospital stay.
A long-time member of the A.M.E. Church, Jennifer worshipped at Bryant Temple A.M.E., Brookins Community A.M.E. and most recently, New Philadelphia A.M.E. under the leadership of the Rev. Darryl Walker. Also, she was a distinguished educator in the Los Angeles Unified School District as well as active with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Jennifer was born on September 5, 1946, on the campus of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, to the late Edward Bernard and Annise LaRue Story Mack. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1955 where Jennifer excelled as a student at John C. Fremont High School. In her senior year in 1964, she was voted ‘Prom Queen.’
Accepting Christ at an early age, Jennifer and her family attended Hays Tabernacle Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1968, she and her family became founding members of the newly organized Bryant Temple A.M.E. Church. She served on the Usher Board where she was elected “Usher of the Year.”
Later, she joined Brookins Community A.M.E., serving as Superintendent of the New Members Institute and in the Lay Organization. At her passing, she was a member of New Philadelphia A.M.E., where she served as Director of the New Members Class and active with the Lay Organization, NuPhilly Deltas, Women’s Missionary Society, Word Ministry, Sunday School and Bible Study.
Jennifer received her Bachelor and Master’s degrees from CSU-Los Angeles. She also earned her teaching and administrative services credentials as well as a certificate Clear, Cross-cultural, Language and Academic Development.
Joining LAUSD in 1970, Jennifer taught at Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary, Cimarron Avenue, 92nd Street and Raymond Avenue Elementary Schools. After a 30-year career, she retired in 2005 as the assistant principal at Century Park Elementary School.
In the area of community service, Jennifer was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Zeta Chapter. She was a Golden Life member and served on the Finance, Arts & Letters, Scholarships and May Month committees. She volunteered with the Delta Reading Improvement Clinic (DRIC) and on the Delta Sigma Theta Head Start Board. Last year, Jennifer received the President’s Service Award.
Her commendations included the Los Angeles NAACP Award for Fostering Educational Excellence, Semi-Finalist for the Manual Arts Cluster Instructional Cabinet Teacher of the Year (1995-1996), and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. Jennifer was also a Lifetime Associate Member of the Inglewood Chapter of Jack and Jill of America.
Jennifer loved traveling with her husband, Lee, and they visited Rome, Paris, London, Israel, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and many other places. She also loved to attend plays, museums, dining out, reading fiction and self- help books, going to the movies, shopping and line dancing.
The celebration of the life of Jennifer Howell was held on Wednesday, September 10, at New Philadelphia A.M.E. Church in Rancho Dominguez where the Rev. Darryl E. Walker serves as senior pastor. Her final resting place is Inglewood Park Cemetery.
