Elfreda Howell

Elfreda Howell, age 80, was born on September 6,1945, in Clarendon, Jamaica, to parents Mary Henry and Lucious Henry, who had 11 children together, and Lucious also had 4 other children. She was very well known as Ms.G - the dress maker, to her family and friends. Ms.G went to Red Hills Primary School and then high school in Pennans.
Ms.G attended dress making lessons in Ballards River, where she learned how to become an amazing seamstress, making a lot of school uniforms and other clothing for a lot of people in the Parish.
Ms.G got married to Ewart Howell on September 1,1945, and they had 7 children, 4 boys, and 3 girls- including a set of twins. Ms.G migrated to America in 1985 along with the oldest children Mikey and Ingrid and lived in Brooklyn, NY. In 1988, Ms.G went back to Jamaica and bought the 4 younger children also to Brooklyn, NY, and shortly after, in December of 1988, the entire family moved into the home they had bought in Irvington,NJ.
Ms.G worked at the Reform Church nursing home where she worked for decades and also was lucky to also be the Seamstress to handle all the alterations for her coworkers and her patients. Ms.G then worked for the New Jersey Transportation department as a bus-aid and also the favorite Avon lady who also allowed her to meet a lot of wonderful people since 1985 when she started her journey to sell Avon.
Ms.G was predeceased by her twins Paul (Narian 1978-2011) Elfreda (1978- was 28 days old, Horace (Stephen a.k.a Blacka 1975-1994, and Ewart (a.k.a Mikey 1972-2021) which then resuled in a very big move to Boca Raton, Fl in 2022 to give her a bit of relief from the cold weather that was not helping with all her arthritis pain and other health conditions.
Mrs.G had an abundance and unwavering love for all her family and friends. She just had a warmth to her that was gentle, caring, supportive and very welcoming- which I will say- She was a woman of God and always put God first especially knowing all the comforts and strengths he gave her to carry on especially after losing 4 of her children. Mrs.G also knew how to laugh and plenty of times I would remind her- hey take it easy before you need your Asthma pump, and just to mention she shared a lot of laughs with her son in law Rodney Brown - who would sometimes call her with a lot of prank calls, pretending to be someone from church always got her due to her strong faith in serving the lord. Mom was always a classy lady carried herself with dignity and pride- which with her Mother (Mimi) there was no other option due to growing up in the church. Growing up in the house we can always remember her singing - and oh boy, was she off key and oh boy Ingrid never failed to remind her, as to why she also hummed a lot. Mrs.G also loved to dress up, and sometimes we would say- wow, what a dress puss. Traveling to England where her other 4 siblings resided was always a happy get away for her, and thankfully I was able to get a trip with her for the first time in 1996- she got to reunite with her siblings that she did not see for a long time and her brother Gilbert for over 40 years ( thanks dad). Mrs.G also had a passion for flowers. She really had a green thumb. I remember when we went to England mom had to bring back a piece of flower and the flower did bloom and of all the other flowers someone took that flower pot, and she did not stop talking about it and she became the flower police- looking at other garden around to see if she sees it- My mom was like a flower, just absolutely beautiful inside and out.
On October 8, 2025, Elfreda peacefully entered the Heaven's gate. She is survived by her Husband Ewart Howell (Mr.U) Daughters - Ingrid and Alicia Brown (Tracy-Ann) and 1 son Denton Howell (Peter) 10 grand children- Rashawn Gordon, Katrinia Dacosta, Mia Bryant, Omar Brown, Aquila Howell, Tatyannah Gordon, Micah Howell, Ashley Brown and April Brown and 2 Great grandchildren Jason Gordon. She is also survived by her sister Eulee Hayman and brother Victor Lloyd Henry (Rupy).
She also left behind numerous loving relatives and friends.
She will be missed dearly by all. And let's member her with her encouraging words that she used daily, "One Day at a Time" and "God don't give you more than you can bear "
Sleep in peace, MOM!